Boundaries
by DinosaurTrainFanKarkovice
Summary: Based on the Lovely Accent chapter of my fic Couples, but takes place within its own continuity, and is a collab between me and Karkovice. Ned Troodon boards the Dinosaur Train and meets Laura the Giganotosaurus for the first time. He instantly falls in love with her, but he doesn't know how to tell Laura how he feels. Will he be able to with Karkovice Drake's help?
1. Meeting Laura Giganotosaurus

**Boundaries –A Dinosaur Train Fanfic**

Chapter 1-Meeting Laura Giganotosaurus (Written by DinosaurTrainFan)

It was a lovely day as Ned Troodon and his friend Karkovice Drake walked toward the station where the Dinosaur Train was. True to his last name, Ned was an orange-colored troodon with orange feathers on top of his head. He also wore a green bowtie. Karkovice Drake was a ten foot tall red dragon with black swept back horns, black claws on his hands and feet, and black wings with flaps the color of red. He walked on two legs and had brown eyes on a warm and kind-looking face. His body was also well built. But he was actually a weredragon, a creature that could change from human to dragon form and vice versa. Kark had first come to Dinosaur Land thanks to a friend of his, who had told him of a magical entrance that lead there and given him tickets to access it and the Dinosaur Train. After a few visits Kark met Ned and has become close friends with him ever since.

As the weredragon and troodon walked up to the ticket window, Kark spoke up. "So you don't go on the train much?" Kark asked.

Ned shook his head. "I usually just stay in Troodon Town. I only leave when there's an event going on. However, I don't go to _every_ event." He said as the Station Master Troodon handed them their tickets. It was true that Ned didn't often ride the Dinosaur Train. The reason he was boarding the train today had nothing to do with attending an event of some kind. He was only going because Kark convinced him to, saying that he should go out more often. Ned was shy and a bit of a loner, usually preferring long periods of time by himself instead of in public. His only explanation was that he didn't feel comfortable with being out in public for long.

The two creatures boarded the train and it left the station moments later. Trees could be seen from inside the passenger car as the train passed them by. After the two were sitting in the passenger car for a short bit, Kark made the suggestion of checking out the observation car. "You ever been in it before?"

Ned shook his head. "Never. I admit that every time I was on the train, I was a little curious about it, but just never went through with seeing it. Don't know why." He said finishing with a shrug.

Kark smiled. "Well it's your lucky day, Ned. Let's go check it out." The two stood up and walked towards the door leading to the observation car.

"So what's the observation car like?" Ned asked.

"Well it has no roof, so dinosaurs that are too big to fit into the passenger car can fit inside it. It's usually inhabited by a giganotosaurus named Laura."

"Why is she in there so often?" The two were standing before the door to the observation car, and Kark was smiling at Ned. "I think I'll let Laura explain that to you." Kark opened the door and he and Ned stepped inside. The first sight they saw was of two big bipedal legs, each attached to a three-toed foot.

"Why hello, Kark." A soft voice with an Argentinian accent spoke out, and judging by the sound of it, seemed to be coming from up above their heads. The two looked up and saw a tall female dinosaur that looked very similar to the T-Rex species, except that she was taller than a T-Rex. She also had dark green skin with a lighter shade of green going down her belly, two trails of spikes that went from her snout to the tip of her tail, both being broken off by her forehead, two short arms (though a bit longer than a T-Rex's), a long tail, and she was squatting in the train car with her two big legs. She was smiling down at them in a friendly manner.

Kark smiled. "Why hello there, Laura. How are you today?"

Laura smiled and replied that she was fine. She looked over at Ned. "Oh, hello. Who might you be?"

Kark placed his arm around Ned. "Oh, this is my good friend Ned Troodon. We met a while back when I was visiting Dinosaur Land for the first time. Ned, this is Laura the Giganotosaurus, lookout for the Dinosaur Train and a friend of mine. Say hi to Laura, Ned. Ned?"

Ned said nothing. He just stared up at Laura with his mouth open a little in astonishment. Laura was…the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon in his life. Her green skin, the spikes on her body, her long tail, everything about Laura seemed flawlessly beautiful to him. And her accent was so lovely and silky smooth that he wanted to listen to her talking for hours.

"Ned? Ned? Ned?!"

"W-What?" Ned snapped out of it and looked over at Kark. "What is it?"

"You were zoning out there for a minute, Ned. This is Laura the Giganotosaurus, a good friend of mine."

Laura smiled and waved her right hand forwardly at Ned in a friendly fashion. "Oh, please Ned. Just call me Laura."

Ned felt like he was about to swoon at the gesture.

Laura smiled and bowed at him. "At your service, senor."

The urge to swoon felt stronger.

"So what brings you two to the observation car?"

"Just wanted to show Neddy here the observation car. Say Laura, you wouldn't mind telling him what you do back here, would you?"

"Not at all. You see Ned, as the Dinosaur Train lookout, I keep an eye out for any danger out on the track. If I see something big or long on the tracks that could cause the train to crash, I let a loud roar to let the engineer know and stop the train. Then I get out and push the large or tall object off of the tracks using my head and great body strength."

"That…sounds incredible." Ned said, looking like his breath had been taken away from him.

"Tell him about your other duties." Kark suggested.

"I also turn the train around whenever we get to a round house, that's where the train gets turned around so it can go in the other direction. I help push the train, but not with my head, but with my arms and body strength." Laura explained.

Ned nodded as he listened. He looked at Laura as she spoke. After Laura was finished speaking, there was a moment of silence in the observation car. Ned instantly didn't like it. He wanted Laura to continue speaking, so he could hear the sound of her voice some more, but could think of nothing at the moment that could get her to talk. Then Kark spoke up. "Well, we better get back to the passenger car. Bye, Laura. See you soon."

"Good-bye Kark. Good-bye, Ned. I've enjoyed talking to you two, and I hope that I'll see you two more often on the train." Laura said while waving.

"Good-bye." Ned said calmly as Kark was guiding him away by the shoulder while he was looking at Laura. He felt like he wanted to stay with her some more, talk to her some more. But for some reason, he felt powerless to do anything as he was guided out of the observation car and the door closed behind him.


	2. A Conversation with Laura Giganotosaurus

**Boundaries –A Dinosaur Train Fanfic**

Chapter 2-A Conversation with Laura Giganotosaurus (Written by DinosaurTrainFan)

Ned and Kark sat in the dining car having lunch, though Ned didn't eat much. He couldn't stop thinking about Laura. Her green skin, her lovely accent, and how nice she had acted to him and Kark back in the observation car earlier. He wanted to see her again and talk to her some more. Kark had just finished eating a sandwich when he noticed that Ned was staring out the window. He looked a little puzzled. "Hey, Ned. You okay there, buddy?"

"Huh?" Ned was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Kark's voice. "Oh, sorry Kark. Just lost in my thoughts, that's all."

"Ah, good." Kark said with a smile. "Had me worried there for a second."

Ned chuckled shyly a little and became calm. It was then that he made up his mind to see Laura again and talk with her. He felt a burning desire within him to learn as much as he could about her. "Um, hey Kark? I'm gonna head back to the observation car. I wanna see more of the passing sights from it."

"Okay, I'm gonna stay here and digest some of this food." Kark said patting his belly. "But I'll catch up with you later, kay?"

Ned nodded before he stood up and turned around in the opposite direction.

* * *

Ned stood before the observation car door. Laura could not see him up from her height, and was obviously busy looking at the tracks up ahead. Ned saw that she was after poking his head in through one of the holes in the door. She seemed so focused and calm, which made her seem even more beautiful to him. Ned didn't dare want to disturb her, but he wanted to talk to her some more so badly. No creature had ever before captured his fascination like Laura did. She was lovely and very kind, kinder than any other creature Ned had ever encountered.

Ned closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them and then the door before stepping inside. Laura heard the door open and close and looked down to see who had entered. She smiled when she saw that it was Ned. "Why hello there, stranger. What brings you here?"

Ned could tell somehow that she was just joking with him while being friendly, and he didn't mind that. In fact, he even smiled. "Oh, I just came to talk with you some more, that's all."

Ned walked up to her and stood closer than he was earlier. To him, Laura looked like she was a queen. Queen of the observation car, where she ruled over her own domain. The idea seemed ridiculous, but that's what it felt like to Ned. "My, you're a big gal aren't ya?" No sooner had the words escaped Ned's lips that he immediately became afraid. He was afraid that Laura would not only find what he had said dumb, but she would also misinterpret that as him saying that she was fat, while he was actually trying to compliment her.

Instead, Laura smiled. "Why, thank you."

Ned sighed with relief on the inside, glad to see that Laura had not taken any offense to what he had just said. But he then decided to change the subject. "May I?" He said gesturing at the spot on the floor in front of Laura.

"Not at all, be my guest." Laura said a smile and a wave of her hand at the spot.

Ned smiled back as he sat down and looked up at Laura. She still looked very pretty even from this point of view. Laura resumed looking ahead at the tracks, saying that she had to since it was her job, but that she would still talk to Ned. She also hoped that he wouldn't be offended if she looked at the tracks from time to time while they talked. To which Ned replied that he completely understood and wouldn't be offended in the slightest. When Laura was looking ahead, Ned noticed that the smoke coming from the smokestack was blowing into her face.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Ned asked.

"Not much, I can still see through it." Laura said still looking ahead.

 _She looks so beautiful when she's observing things like that._ Ned thought. He decided to pursue the subject. "You like observing things?"

Laura smiled down at him happily. "Why yes, in fact I love to observe things. Being a giganotosaurus and having great eyesight. It's such a wonderful and favorite activity of mine."

"I see." Ned said. "What other features do you possesses as a giganotosaurus?"

"Well, I'm much bigger than a Tyrannosaurus Rex."

 _I see._ Ned thought.

"I'm a theropod and I walk around on two, three-toed feet." Laura said holding up her right foot and wiggling her toes.

 _And what beautiful-looking feet you have._ Ned thought.

"I have a long tail to help with balancing my body, an excellent sense of smell, and a head with sharp teeth to eat meat since I'm a carnivore."

"Fascinating, now tell me more about yourself, Laura. What do you like to do? What activity do you enjoy doing, or rather, what activities do you like doing?"

"I'm glad you asked, Ned. I am a birdwatcher. I love to observe birds and learn as much as I can about the different species of birds there are. In fact, I also love to draw birds in my sketchbook."

"Sketch book?" Ned paused. "Can I see it?"

"Why, of course." Laura took out her sketch book and handed it down to Ned. He opened the book and could not believe his eyes. Laura's drawings were really good. They were beautiful and each one seemed like something from an old Japanese painting, though they were done in pencil. The sketches were made with so much detail and each bird species that Laura drew had appearances that differed from the others. One was red and black, another was yellow, and another one was entirely blue.

Ned looked up at Laura. "Wow, these are really good, Laura. Each one is very beautiful."

"Why thank you, Ned. It's so nice to hear someone complimenting my drawings."

Ned smiled up at her. He loved seeing her smile. He held up the sketch book to her. "Would you mind telling me about the different species of birds you've seen?"

"Not at all." So Ned would turn the pages and show a drawing to Laura while she would explain what species it was and where in the world or in what time period it was located. Laura felt happy to be discussing bird species with someone while Ned was happy to hear her talk about birds. Loved how passionate Laura looked while she talked about them. The two were so busy talking and having a good time that they didn't hear the sound of the conductor's voice at first.

"Time tunnel!"

"Huh?" Both Ned and Laura said in unison.

"Time tunnel! Time tunnel approaching!"

Laura stood up and saw that the time tunnel was indeed coming up fast. With no time to lose, Laura ducked her head down quickly just before the train reached the tunnel. As they were going through the tunnel Ned blushed, for Laura's face was very close to his. Close enough to be kissed, especially on the lips. At first Ned felt tempted to kiss Laura's lips, but he then told himself that he couldn't. Firstly, because he and Laura had only just met today. Secondly, Ned didn't want to overwhelm or make Laura uncomfortable or make her think that he wanted him and her to rush into a romantic relationship. He wanted to be with Laura in such a relationship, but as long as she was in it of her own volition. So Ned resisted the urge to kiss her. Meanwhile Laura blushed out of the now awkward situation. "Oh, uh, pardon me."

"N-no, it's perfectly alright. Wouldn't have wanted you to have gotten hurt." Laura's face backed slowly away from Ned's. "You know? They should make the time tunnels larger so dinos like you don't have to duck whenever the train approaches them." Ned suggested.

"That would be nice." Laura said happily. Ned nodded. The two watched as they were passing through the time tunnel until they were out. Just as the train was entering the Cretaceous time period, two kids burst into the observation car. Both were ornithomimus twins and looked to be adolescents.

"Did you see it? Did you see it? We passed through the time tunnel!" Oren and Ollie cried.

"Yes, yes I saw." Laura said now standing up straight. She then resumed her squatting position. The kids ran up in front of her.

"That was an awesome ride, wasn't it Mrs. Giganotosaurus?"

Ned could practically feel and hear a shattering sound inside of him. Mrs. Giganotosaurus…Mrs. Giganotosaurus…Mrs. Giganotosaurus… Was Laura really married? Did she already have a special someone in her life? Ned's smile turned into a sad frown. He felt like his life was now over.

"Please, kids. Call me Laura. I'd be much happier if you did."

"Alright, Laura. We're gonna go back to our mom, okay?"

"Why of course. Tell her I said hi." The two boys ran back to their mother.

"Such nice kids. Some children come see me often and ask questions about my species. So nice to talk to other creatures, eh Ned? Ned?"

Ned heard his name being called and wiped the sad look off of his face, not wanting Laura to notice.

"Huh? Oh yeah, very nice." He answered calmly. "So your name's Mrs. Laura Giganotosaurus?"

"What? No, it isn't. Children often call me Mrs. by mistake. I am not married nor have I ever been married."

Ned could feel hope rushing into him again. But then he reminded himself that just because Laura wasn't married, that didn't mean that she probably wasn't seeing anyone. He had to know if she was, but not by asking Laura. He didn't want her aware of his newfound feelings for her, not yet at least. The train went on while Ned and Laura resumed talking about birds until it had reached Troodon Town and stopped at the station.

"Well, it looks like I'd better be getting off to push the train to the roundhouse. That and turning the train around, another of my duties on the train. Ned, would you like to see me turn the train around?"

"W-would it be okay by you?" Ned asked, feeling momentarily stunned by the question.

Laura smiled down at him. "Of course, I did ask you."

"Oh, uh, sure." Ned answered, feeling stupid. "I would love to."

"Great."

Ned stepped off of the train and onto the platform of the station. Then he heard thundering footsteps behind him. Ned looked back and saw that Laura was standing up straight behind him. She waved at him and he waved shyly back, but he was also smiling. Laura looked just as beautiful to him standing up as she was squatting.

"I'll see you at the roundhouse, Ned."

"Will do."

Ned watched Laura push the train into the roundhouse until both she and the dinosaur train had disappeared inside of it. Just as Ned was about to head toward the roundhouse, he heard a voice from behind him. "Hey, Ned!"

Ned jumped and turned around, but was relieved to see that it was only Kark.

"Sorry, Ned. Didn't mean to scare you." Kark laughed. "You heading to the roundhouse?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I come with?"

"Uh, sure, let's go." Ned said grabbing Kark's wrist and hurriedly leading his dragon friend away. He was afraid that Laura was already starting to turn the train around and he didn't want to miss a second of it.

* * *

The two friends were now on the circular pathway at the top of the roundhouse. Below on a wooden revolving platform were the dinosaur train, several troodons, and Laura Giganotosaurus standing beside the platform. Ned sighed with relief when he saw that they were not too late.

"Ready, Laura?" One of the troodons on the platform asked.

Laura nodded in a friendly manner at him. "Yes, I am ready."

Ned sighed happily at the sound of her voice, but quietly so no one else would hear.

Laura placed both her hands on a wooden peg and slowly began to push. The platform and train began to rotate clockwise as Laura was walking over wooden pegs at her feet, letting out a roar every now and then as she pushed. And Ned watched with great focus and admiration. Laura's strength was so astounding and it seemed like there was no obstacle in the world that she couldn't overcome. Laura stopped when the train was facing the opposite direction. One of the troodons on the platform flashed her a thumbs up. "Good job as always, Laura. We couldn't have done it without you."

"It was no trouble." Laura said, sounding so humble. Then she exited the roundhouse.

"Come on, let's get this train ready to leave!" One of the troodons cried.

"C'mon, let's go say good-bye to Laura before the train leaves." Kark said turning to Ned.

"Sure thing." Ned agreed. They started walking toward the stairs they had taken to get up to the top of the roundhouse. A thought popped into Ned's head. He turned his head to Kark and spoke. "Say, you think Laura's family is proud of what she does?"

"I assume so. I've never met them, but I'm certain that they are proud of her."

"You think her boyfriend's proud of her too?"

Kark stopped and looked at Ned.

"Boyfriend? Laura doesn't have a boyfriend. Where did you hear that?"

Ned quickly made something up. "While I was on my way to the observation car, I heard someone saying that Laura had a boyfriend, but it must've been a rumor."

"Yeah, must've been. In fact, Laura the Giganotosaurus isn't seeing anyone."

"She's single?" Ned asked.

Kark nodded. "That's what I know to the best of my knowledge."

"Strange."

"Why's that?" Kark said looking a little confused.

"It's just that, I thought that someone as lovely as Laura was with someone. I mean, someone as kind and lovely as her deserves a special someone in her life, right?"

Kark shrugged. "I'm sure that someday Laura will meet her special someone."

Kark headed down the stairs but Ned remained behind, smiling. Hearing that Laura the Giganotosaurus was single was the happiest news he had ever heard. He could imagine just the two of them being together. Walking side by side, watching the sunset together, holding each other at night, and hugging and kissing. And Ned wanted all that to become a reality. He was willing to sacrifice his life as a loner for that. It was then that Ned made a resolution in his mind. He decided that he would get to the train before it would head off, see Laura, and tell her that he was in love with her and wanted to ask her out on a date. Ned walked down the stairs quickly with a happy and excited look on his face.

* * *

The train was in front of the station and there were creatures beginning to come aboard. Ned could see Kark on the platform talking to Laura as she stood in the observation car. "So you're not getting back on?" Laura asked.

"Nah, our destination was Troodon Town. Ned's agreed to let me spend the night with him."

"How nice of him." Laura said.

Kark heard footsteps and turned to see Ned. "Well looky here, the creature we were just talking about. Hi, Neddy."

"I hope you were talking positively about me." Ned said smiling.

"Of course." Laura said smiling down at him.

"I'll give you two a moment to say good-bye." Kark said.

"Okay."

Kark turned to look up at Laura. "Bye, Laura. Nice seeing you."

"Good-bye. I feel the same." Laura waved.

Kark headed over to the brochure rack by the front wall of the station while Ned walked onto the observation car. He looked up at Laura and smiled. His heart was beating a little fast. He couldn't believe that he was about to do this, but he wanted to.

"Laura,"

"Yes, Ned?" Laura asked.

Ned held out his hand, and Laura saw what the gesture meant. She reached down her right hand for Ned to hold. He placed his other hand on top of it. He smiled.

"Laura, it was an honor and pleasure to have met and spoke with you today."

"The feeling is mutual, my friend." Laura said with a friendly smile.

Ned smiled back, glad to know that they were friends.

"I'm glad that I met you today, and learned so much about you."

Ned released Laura's hand. "Laura, there's something that I want to tell you."

"What is it?" Laura asked.

Ned closed his eyes. On the way down from the roundhouse, he been thinking of the best way to tell Laura his feelings for her, and he decided to express those feelings in just a few words. He opened his eyes and slowly looked up at Laura.

"Laura, I…"

But the moment Ned laid eyes upon Laura's face, he froze.

"I…I…I…" Ned felt horrified. He tried to get the words he wanted to say to come out, but he just couldn't. And the moment felt like it was getting more and more awkward by the second.

 _Come on, just say it you idiot!_ Ned screamed inside his mind. But he still couldn't utter a single word. Just then, he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Kark standing behind him.

"Sorry Ned, but we have to go. The train's about to leave." Kark looked up at Laura and smiled. "Bye Laura, hope to see you soon."

"Yes, I hope so too, and to see your friend Ned again. Good-bye Kark, Ned."

"G-Good-bye." Ned said raising his hand, but not waving as Kark led him out of the train. The whistle blew and the train headed off. And Ned watched as it carried Laura away.

"Let's head to your place next." Kark said.

"Yeah, sure." Ned said, feeling a little down. He and Kark headed off towards his home.

* * *

They were at Ned's place, which consisted of an area surrounded by trees.

"So what you wanna do now?" Kark asked.

Ned wasn't in a mood to do anything. After half a minute, he spoke up. "Um, Kark? Before we do anything, I have to go use the bathroom. Be back in a bit."

"Okay, take your time Neddy."

Ned walked off until he was a bit away from home. He got behind some bushes, sat down, and then started crying.

 _That was so embarrassing, freezing up in front of Laura like that. How will I ever be able to show my face to her again? She probably doesn't even want to see me again._ Ned thought as he wept. He sat and cried for a long time. He was so busy crying that he didn't notice that someone was calling his name.

"Ned? Ned?" It was Kark. Within a minute he saw Ned behind the bush. "Hey, man…" He stopped when he saw the trail of tears going down Ned's face. "Hey, what's wrong buddy?"

Ned sniffed. "Oh, Kark. I made such a fool out of myself in front of Laura."

"What do you mean?" Kark asked sitting down beside him.

Ned told Kark everything. How he had fallen for Laura when he met her and tried to tell her that he did, only to freeze up in front of her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Ned." But then Kark realized something and slapped himself on the forehead. "Aw, man. Going back to the observation car, going to the roundhouse. Laura was there at both those times, I should've put it all together that you had a crush on her, or at least suspected that that was the case. I'm sorry, man."

"It's okay," Ned sniffed as he wiped some tears off his cheek. "But perhaps it wasn't meant to be. Laura's a big dinosaur. Why would she want to be with a small guy like me anyway?" He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Kark, who was smiling.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with having a crush on anyone, especially Laura. She's very nice and lovely. You have good taste."

Ned smiled. "I really do like her a lot. And I want to be with her so bad." Then he frowned. "But how do I tell her without freezing up like that again?"

"I can help you with that."

"Really?" Ned asked.

"Yeah, I know some things about asking others out and dating. I have been dating Valerie Velociraptor for a while, haven't I?"

"That young adult velociraptor?"

Kark nodded.

Ned smiled. "Thank you so much, Kark. You're a great friend!"

"Don't mention it." Kark said.

The dragon and troodon got up and headed back to Ned's home. There they both sat down on rocks and faced each other. Kark smiled. "Let us begin."

 **Yes, this story is taking place in an alternate universe and several years after the Dinosaur Train's present, which explains an older Valerie.**

 **See you all later.**

 **~DinosaurTrainFan**


	3. Lessons In Love

**CHAPTER 3**

 **LESSONS IN LOVE**

 **(WRITTEN BY KARKOVICE1)**

As Ned Troodon and Karkovice Drake sat down on the rocks, Kark began his lesson.

"When it comes to courting females, the most important thing is to find _common ground._ That is to say, trying to find things you have _in common_ with the girl; for example, things you would both _like_ to do on a date."

Ned was listening intently.

"When I first started to get to know Valerie during that Nighttime Scavenger Hunt we were paired up as a team on, I learned that she _loved_ nature. She loved _birds, animals._ She _loved_ being in the outdoors. I'm a bit of an outdoorsman myself, so we were able to build rapport _that_ way. I often took her out for walks in the forest where we got to know each other a little better.

"I also learned that Valerie also loved stargazing at night. With my father being an _Astronomer_ and all-"

"A _what!?"_ Ned interrupted.

"A _Stargazer…"_ Kark smiled. "I was able to teach Valerie about some of the constellations from my time; like Orion, The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, Leo the Lion-"

"Huh!?" Ned looked confused.

Kark smiled again. "Never mind. While I was teaching Valerie about _that,_ she taught _me_ about some of the constellations of the prehistoric sky! We spend many a night learning from each other like that." Kark smiled at those memories.

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy for you and Valerie Velociraptor." Ned stated. "But what kind of things would _Laura_ like?"

"Well…" Kark pondered. "You like the _Hot Springs_ a lot _,_ right?"

Ned nodded. "Yeah?"

"Well, maybe Laura would like The Hot Springs as well! Personally, I don't know many females who _wouldn't_ like The Hot Springs. You could maybe invite her to spend a day at The Hot Springs with you. _That_ would make for a nice first date!"

Ned liked the idea. "Okay. What else?"

"Well… Laura likes to _draw_ a lot, as you've seen. I've often heard her talk about how much she would like to meet Chung Confiusasornis so she can _draw_ him in her scrapbook. You can maybe arrange to have her meet him for a day. I hear he's also full of wisdom. Who knows? He may teach you and Laura a thing or two about meditation."

Ned chuckled. "Well, that's _another_ great idea!"

Kark smiled again. "SO, you have a couple of options there on how you can start that relationship with Laura. All you gotta do is take that first step and _ask_ her."

Ned's eyes grew wide in alarm. "ASK her!? OH! Uh… I- I don't know…"

Kark looked concerned at his friend's panicked state. "Why? What's wrong? You've already broken the ice with Laura… or at least it _seems_ you did. Asking her out is the next logical step. So what's holding you back?"

Ned lowered his head and sighed. "Well, the truth is: Talking to Laura is _good_ and all, but… Actually asking her out makes me _nervous._ Even the very THOUGHT of asking Laura out makes me _nervous!"_

Ned kept staring at the ground at his feet, and he was visibly shaking from the nervousness he was feeling.

Kark reached out and placed a reassuring taloned hand on Ned's shoulder. Ned was surprised by this; but when he looked up and saw Kark's smiling face, he felt a little more comforted.

"Hey! Don't worry! You're not the _only_ male who's felt nervous the first time he asked a _female_ out. I was nervous, too! Believe it or not, it took me _weeks_ to work up the courage to ask Valerie out!"

"Really!?"

Still smiling, Kark nodded. "Really REALLY! But I _did_ it, and you can do it, _too,_ with Laura."

Ned's face brightened up. "You know, you're _right!_ I don't wanna spend the rest of my life alone, thinking that I missed my chance with Laura. All right! I'll DO it!

"THAT'S the spirit!" Kark patted his shoulder.

"But I'd like to do it _in my own way!"_

Kark was baffled. "What do you _mean?"_

"Well, you know how much I love to write _poetry_ , right?"

Kark nodded. "Yeah. I've seen some of your work. It's really _great!"_

"Well, I was thinking that maybe I can write an _invitation poem_ to Laura…" Ned smiled and rubbed his chin with his index and thumb.

Kark smiled again. "You know, every male has their own _style,_ when it comes to courting the opposite sex. It's also very important to use the style that you're most _comfortable_ with. If you feel _poetry_ is your style, then GO for it! I rather _like_ the idea, myself!"

"Then _that's_ what I'll DO!" Ned said triumphantly. "But let's work on that _tomorrow._ It's getting late, and I'd like to get some shut eye."

Kark nodded in agreement. "Fair enough."

"And… I want to _thank_ you, Kark. You've made everything more _clear_ to me, and given me something to _strive_ for. Thank you _very_ much!"

"Always glad to help!" Kark said. "Besides, what are friends _for!?"_ Kark spread his arms and wings out.

Ned chuckled. "Well, good night, Kark!"

"G'night, Ned!"

Both males went off to their respective bedrooms. They would both sleep easy that night. Tomorrow was another day, and there was still much work that needed to be done.


	4. To Laura, With Love

**Boundaries-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic**

Chapter 4-To Laura, With Love (Written by DinosaurTrainFan)

The Dinosaur Train came onto the tracks in Troodon Town right on schedule the next morning. The smoke was billowing out of the smokestack when Ned and Kark walked aboard the train. Laura was in the observation car as usual and waved at the two when she saw them. Kark waved back showcasing his usual warm smile, but Ned just waved back shyly a little. While he was happy deep down to see her again, he was still feeling embarrassed about when he had frozen up before her. If not for Kark, who knows how more awkward the scene would've gotten. Ned felt a hand on his shoulder when they had stepped inside the passenger car. He turned back to face Kark, who was still smiling. Ned felt reassured and smiled back.

"C'mon, let's sit down and write that letter."

* * *

With a couple bottles of ink, some paper, a quill, and some envelopes, Ned and Kark sat on opposite sides of a table in the dining car. The train was rattling on and the scenery was passing by them so fast, that it seemed like something out of an old slideshow.

"What should I write?" Ned asked, looking up from the piece of paper in front of him. The quill was held steadily in his hand.

"Whatever you want to say to Laura." Kark replied. "What you like about her, for example. Talk about what you think about her eyes, her voice, of the way she observes things. Anything."

Ned nodded, for he did think that the way Laura observed things was very beautiful to him. He was silent for a moment before he looked back up. "Alright if I make it anonymous? I don't want Laura to know that I like her…just yet."

"Sure, you can tell her in person later, and then _ask her out_." Kark said smiling playfully at his friend.

But Ned was still feeling nervous about asking Laura out in person. What if he froze up again and no one was there to stop him or lead him away? Ned shook his head. He told himself that he would worry about that later. He looked down at his piece of paper and started to write.

It was fortunate that they had requested a pile of paper, because Ned was constantly crossing things out and rewriting when he didn't find what he wrote good enough or just right. Then he would groan in frustration and start over on a new page when the old one was completely covered with the wrong words. He wrote down a list of all the things he liked about Laura after getting to know her better. He tried and tried turning that list into a letter, but it just didn't seem to be able to be translated. After several tries, brief moments of anxiety, and friendly encouragements to continue from Kark, Ned organized what he believed to be a final draft of the letter. He handed it over to Kark to read silently to himself. Kark's lips moved while not forming a sound and his eyes moved from right to left. It took only a few minutes, which to Ned felt like an eternity, before Kark finished reading and put the letter down.

"Well, how is it?" Ned anxiously asked.

Kark smiled. "I think it's pretty darn good."

"Really?" Ned was smiling from ear to ear, so to say.

"Yeah, all it needs is to be put into the envelope, sealed, and delivered to Laura Giganotosaurus."

"Okay." Ned placed the letter inside and sealed the envelope. "You-Who, over here please!" He said waving to get the attention of a waiter.

A troodon waiter came over to them. "Could you deliver this letter to Laura Giganotosaurus, please? She should be in the observation car."

"Why sure, I know Laura. I'll bring your letter to her right away."

The waiter turned to leave, but Ned stopped him.

"Wait!"

The waiter turned.

"If she asks who sent it, tell her it's from someone anonymous." Ned said, feeling like his request must've sounded odd.

But to the Troodon Waiter, it didn't seem odd at all. Heck, this must've been the seven-hundredth time that he's delivered someone a letter. He nodded to Ned and walked off towards the observation car.

* * *

Laura was squatting in the observation car, looking up at the sky. She wasn't watching the clouds for it was a clear, blue day. She was watching two birds flying around in the sky in what looked like a playful fashion to her, smiling. She was so busy watching them that she didn't notice a troodon waiter opening the door and stepping inside. He lifted his hand up to his mouth and coughed to get Laura's attention.

"Miss Giganotosaurus?"

Laura looked down and saw him. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Letter for you." He said holding up the envelope. Laura stared at the letter as if she had never seen anything like it before.

"A letter for me? But, how strange. I never get letters from anyone on the Dinosaur Train." Laura continued to look at it. "Who is it from?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The sender has requested for me not to disclose his name."

Laura nodded at him. "Okay then, thank you very much." She bent down and kindly took the letter from the Troodon Waiter. He tipped his hat at her and walked out of the observation car. Laura looked at the letter in her hands. A mystery was surrounding it both on the outside and the inside. Her curiosity finally got the best of her and she tore open the envelope with her index claw. She took out the piece of paper folded inside and began to unfold it. Laura held it open to her and began reading the contents of the letter out loud:

" _To Laura Giganotosaurus,_ "

"This letter is definitely for me." Laura said, as if she thought that the letter was given to her by mistake. She read the rest of it in silence. Then she blushed slightly. The letter said:

 _You are a very unique creature of your species. Your eyes are attentive and mentally capture the exact details of the appearances of others. And you capture such details so skillfully on paper, to be enjoyed by others for years to come. What I've said may sound like it is common among other giganotsaurus', great eyesight and drawing, but the way you do such things are indeed, in my opinion, unique._

 _Your beauty is the greatest that I've ever seen among other females. Your green skin is silky smooth and shines brighter than any gem found in the earth. Your hands are gentle and delicate, and not the least out of place with your great strength. The teeth sticking out of your mouth are sharp, but do not look the least bit frightening when they are a part of your lovely smile. And this will seem odd, but your feet are lovely too. The way you walk is a graceful art._

 _You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. Your soul is the kindest, gentlest, and loveliest that the world has ever had the honor of knowing. You have no idea how brightly you shine in the lives of others, including mine. Out of all of the males who have come to know you, I am perhaps, the luckiest to have such feelings for you._

" _Signed, 'Your Secret Admirer.'_ " Laura said after she finished reading. Her eyes went wide. "Secret Admirer? I…I have a Secret Admirer? Hmmm…I wonder who could it be?" Laura brought a finger up to her jaw as she pondered.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Laura, Ned and Kark were just outside the observation car's doors looking inside. Laura had no idea that they were there. They had watched her open and read the letter, and Ned was smiling. Part of him found it hard to believe that his letter/poem had caused Laura to blush. He, Ned Troodon, had made Laura Giganotosaurus blush. All with the power of words.

Ned still smiled, feeling like he and Laura were a part of some little romantic game between themselves, even though they weren't a couple.

"She looks so beautiful even when she blushes." Ned commented.

"Yeah." Kark said. He turned to Ned. "Okay, Neddy. Time to go out there and tell her that you wrote it."

Ned's smile was immediately wiped off of his face and replaced with a look of shock. "T-T-Tell her I wrote the poem?!"

"Yeah, wasn't the point of this to help you express your feelings towards Laura? Now's the time to go in there and tell her it's you."

"I can't do that!" Ned said looking upset.

"Why not? She was blushing when she had read that letter. I'm pretty sure she was very flattered by it. So go on and tell her."

Ned looked at her and then down at the floor. "I can't…not yet. Kark, I need more time." Kark placed his hand on Ned's shoulder.

"Okay then, you don't have to tell her now. But at some future point, you gotta tell her that it's you, before it's too late. She won't wait around forever for her mystery admirer to reveal himself."

Ned looked at Laura one more time and knew that Kark was right. "Okay."

He and Kark walked back to the dining car, where they both remained until they had arrived back at Troodon Town a while later. They said good-bye to each other before Ned walked off home and Kark remained on the train before it headed off again. It eventually arrived at Pteranodon Terrace, where Kark lived with his family, and he got off onto the station platform. He looked up at Laura, who was again looking at the letter and wondering who had sent it to her. He looked away and walked towards home. Hopefully, Ned would be able to confess to Laura his feelings for her soon.


	5. Laura Interrogates

**CHAPTER 5**

 **LAURA INTERROGATES**

 **(Written by Karkovice1)**

The very next day, as soon as Laura Giganotosaurus started her shift on The Dinosaur Train, she interrogated every single male dino she knew as soon as they got on the train, thinking that they were the one who had sent her that mysterious secret admirer love letter.

The male in question would always return one of three replies: "No! Not me!" "No, I never sent you a letter." or "Of course not! I'm already seeing _so and so."_ In every case, Laura sighed in dejection. She _desperately_ wanted to know who had sent her that letter. Who was the mysterious male suitor who could write such beautiful poetry to a female like her? Her heart longed for that chance at romance.

When The Dinosaur Train arrived at Pteranodon Terrace, there was a lone male figure waiting to embark. This was Karkovice Drake. He has been a resident of Pteranodon Terrace for the past three years now. He was married to Valerie Velociraptor for those same three years; and they had a daughter together, who goes by the name of Vekkia Velociraptor-Drake. She inherited her father's leathery skin, spinal ridges, and weredragon stance; as well as her mother's velociraptor feathers and facial features. She's also inherited her father's _height._ At three years old, she was already almost as tall as her mother, and seems to grow a foot taller every day. Valerie always joked that she would reach her father's 10 foot tall gaze by the time she turns _five._ Kark would always laugh and say "We'll see."

He and Valerie had moved to Pteranodon Terrace just before Vekkia was born. Both being good friends with the Pteranodon family, they decided they wanted to be closer to them, so they can spend more time together. _That,_ and Kark didn't want to live in Valerie's desert home of Velociraptor Valley. When Kark took her to visit Pteranodon Terrace for the first time, he was afraid that Valerie wouldn't like it there. He had had his eye on Pteranodon Terrace ever since he first visited Dinosaur Land five years prior. Kark was deeply relieved when Valerie announced that she _loved_ Pteranodon Terrace, and they made plans to move there and start their own family a short time after.

Kark was waiting for The Dinosaur Train alone today. He had business in Troodon Town while Valerie and Vekkia were spending time with the Pteranodon family. Vekkia _loved_ to play with the Pteranodon kids, with whom she has become very good friends with; so a play date was arranged for that day for the kids, while Valerie and Mrs. Pteranodon would spend the day chatting and catching up on things.

As the train pulled up, he heard a voice calling his name from his upper left. He gazed up and saw that it was Laura Giganotosaurus, who was waving her right foreclaw at him to get his attention.

"Hi, Laura!" Kark smiled as he waved back.

"Good morning, Kark. Can you come to the observation car? There is something I want to ask you."

"Uhh... sure!" Kark was still smiling.

As soon as he boarded the train, he headed straight for the observation car Laura was in. "Hey, Laura! What's up?" he asked immediately as he entered.

"Well, Senor Kark. Yesterday, I was surprised to receive this _love letter_ from an anonymous author." She handed the letter down to him. Kark recognized it instantly as the letter he had helped Ned write to her.

"A LOVE letter! Really!?" Kark feigned surprise as he took the letter in his taloned hand. He pretended to read it for a few seconds. "Oh, _wow!"_ He continued feigning surprise. "Whoever wrote this is quite the _poet,_ and he seems to like you _a lot._ Heh!" He smiled, showing his dragon teeth.

"That's _exactly_ what I thought, but I still haven't figured out who the mysterious author is..."

"Well, maybe it's-"

"Was it _you,_ by any chance?" Laura interrupted as she brought her head down to face Kark.

Kark's eyes grew wide in surprise. "WHAT!? NO, of course not! I'm married to Valerie Velociraptor! You know Valerie, right? Mother of my daughter Vekkia, _remember?"_

"OH, yes! That's right." Laura chuckled. "Silly me! What was I _thinking?_ Of _course,_ you didn't write this letter. And... are things going well with your dinosaur family?"

"Couldn't be better!" Kark beamed.

"That's good!" Laura sighed. "Alas, I am back at Square One. I have this love letter sent to me, and I _still_ can't figure out who wrote it..."

Before Kark could say anything else, the double doors leading to the observation car opened to reveal a familiar figure. "Good morning, giganotosaurus and weredragon alike!" the dino said in his usual enthusiasm and tip of his hat.

"Good morning, Mr. Conductor!" Laura and Kark said in unison.

"SO, what news and other associated gossip do you have for me today?"

"Well, Senor Conductor, I am trying to solve the mystery surrounding this love letter I received from an anonymous suitor."

"A love letter, eh?" Mr. Conductor was intrigued. "May I see?"

Laura handed the letter down to him. Mr. Conductor's eyes moved from left to right a few times as he read the letter. "Heh heh heh! Whoever wrote this certainly has a talent for poetry. Maybe he should join the Troodon Town Poet's Society; _if_ he isn't a member already; presuming it's a troodon to begin with?"

"I hear you're quite the poet yourself, Senor Conductor?" Laura asked.

Mr. Conductor nodded. "I can be."

"Therefore, I ask you: Did _you_ write this letter, by any chance?"

Mr. Conductor was flabbergasted. "W-WHAT!? NO! Of _course,_ I didn't write this letter! Me and Erma Eoraptor are still _dating!"_

"Oh, _yeeeeaaaah..._ How's _that_ going?" Kark asked.

"Couldn't be better!" Mr. Conductor smiled. "In fact, she'll be moving in with me at Troodon Town later this month."

"WOW!" Kark exclaimed. "That's a big step for you two!"

"It _is,_ and I can't _wait..."_ Mr. Conductor was hopping up and down in excitement.

"So what's next for you two? Gonna get _married?"_ Kark asked.

"SSSSSSSSSHHHHH!" Mr. Conductor exclaimed, motioning for silence. "I plan to propose to her as soon as she settles in." He whispered with his hand placed to the side of his mouth. "But it's a _secret,_ so don't... tell... _anyone..."_

"Hey! Don't worry, Mr. Conductor. My lips are _sealed."_ Kark smiled.

"Mine as well, Senor Conductor." Laura said as well.

" _Good!"_ Mr. Conductor smiled in relief. "I _knew_ I could count on you two."

Laura sighed. "But as great as all that is, I am _still_ left with this daunting mystery as to who the author of this love letter is; and I have now asked _every_ male dino I know, and they all claim to have _never_ written that letter!"

"Hmmm..." Mr. Conductor rubbed his chin. "That _is_ a mystery, to be sure."

"But if you've asked every male dino you know, and they all said they _didn't_ write that letter, maybe the male dino in question is someone you _don't_ know? Like... someone you _just_ met recently?" Kark suggested.

Mr. Conductor nodded. "It _has_ to be! There doesn't seem to be any other way." He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. "Well, I'd love to stay and help you _solve_ that mystery, Laura; but I'd best be getting back to my Train Conductor duties. TIME TUNNEL! TIME TUNNEL APPROACHING, FOLKS!" he hollered as he walked through the double doors of the observation car into the neighboring passenger car.

"Love to stay, too; but I'd best go grab my seat in the passenger car. Later, Laura!" Kark waved as he left.

"Goodbye, Kark!" Laura returned the wave. "Someone I just met recently... hmmm..." She tapped her left claw next to her lip as she pondered. She got out of her own thoughts just in time to see the rapidly approaching Time Tunnel. She gasped as she quickly ducked down inside the observation car.

Meanwhile, as Kark sat down in his seat in the passenger car, he sighed with a mixture of relief and frustration. Frustration because he had been dying to tell the truth to Laura, but knew he couldn't, for Ned's sake; and relief that he finally had an excuse to leave the observation car, lest Laura were to decide to question him further. He wasn't sure if she saw through his friendly deception or not. Her job on The Dinosaur Train _demanded_ that she be _very_ observant; and she was one of the best there was! Kark personally didn't know _anyone_ as observant as she was, not even among the cops he had encountered for most of his life in The Cenozoic Era, where he originally came from.

He also knew that she was very _smart._ He knew she could figure it out eventually. The only thing that would make it easier on _everyone_ was if Ned Troodon were to gain the courage to approach Laura, and admit that _he_ was the one who wrote that anonymous love letter to her, and finally ask her out in person.

As The Dinosaur Train entered The Time Tunnel, Kark decided to settle down for a nap. Troodon Town was still quite a ways away, and he figured this would be the perfect opportunity to catch a few winks.


	6. The Search for the Secret Admirer

**Boundaries-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic**

Chapter 6-The Search for the Secret Admirer

Kark became conscious after hearing the voice of Mr. Conductor calling out to everyone on board. "Troodon Town Station! Troodon Town Station! Everybody off the train, we're turning it around!"

"Oh geez, that's me!" Kark bolted up and got off the train. Luckily for him, Laura Giganotosaurus would be so busy getting out and pushing the train towards the roundhouse that she'd be unable to question him any further, should she have chosen to. While Laura was pushing the train towards the roundhouse, Kark was heading towards an official looking building not far from the station. There, the members of Troodon Town's Municipal Government resided and worked.

Kark's business in Troodon Town involved meeting them. Back in the human world, he was Co-Mascot for a hockey team in his home country of Canada. His job often involved giving tours of the dinosaur world to disadvantaged kids, with Troodon Town and the hockey team organization's approval of course. He would be meeting with the government officials to schedule the next series of tours and with the dinos who the kids would be meeting with on said tours.

Kark opened the door and entered. There were several troodons and a few dinos who'd agreed to meet with the kids. One of the troodons turned to see Kark. "Ah, Karkovice Drake! So good to see you! Come, come, we have much to discuss." Kark sat down on a bench while everyone else sat down on other benches. All the benches were arranged in a circle.

The troodon who'd noticed Kark come in spoke up. "Okay everyone, let's get started. Kark," The troodon looked at him. "Here are the visits you and the kids will be making for the upcoming month. On Saturday of the first week, you'll be meeting with Alvin Allosaurus at Allosaurus Forrest Station."

Alvin Allosaurus looked at Kark and grinned. "I'd be more than happy to show the little brothers and sisters around my place. Even talk about my species' special features with them."

The troodon nodded and looked back at the schedule that had been made up. "On the second week, you'll be visiting Vic Velociraptor at Velociraptor Valley Station."

Vic just smiled, showcasing his teeth.

Kark spoke up. "Wait; would it be alright if my wife Valerie comes along with me and the kids? She has family there, like her parents, brothers, and sisters. And Velociraptor Valley was once Valerie's home. I'm sure that she would love to go there and see them again…if it's allowed?"

The Government Official leader looked at Kark and nodded. "I'm sure that can be arranged." The other government officials nodded. Kark smiled; he knew that Valerie would love to visit her home and family again. "On the third week, you'll be visiting the Pteranodon family at Pteranodon Terrace."

Kark grinned a big grin. He knew that the kids would love visiting there the most. Meeting the Pteranodon family, playing games with them, exploring the beach with them, and meeting their nearby friends and neighbors. Kark couldn't wait.

"And for the last week of the month, you'll be taking the kids to the Big Misty Sea Station to meet the Old Spinosaurus."

"Yeah," Kark looked up at the Old Spinosaurus sitting down on a bench to his right. "I was surprised when I first found out that you'd signed up for this. Don't you usually like to be alone?"

"I still do often," The Old Spinosaurus said before he smiled. "But after receiving numerous visits from the Pteranodon kids, I've grown more accustomed to visitors. I'd be happy as a clam to take those kids fishing and give them rides on my back while swimming through the water."

Kark nodded, but he also frowned a little. "While all that sounds like a lot of fun, you have to keep in mind that some of those kids might not necessarily know how to swim. We have a saying where I come from: Safety first! I hope you can accommodate?"

"Actually we can, Mr. Drake." One of the troodon officials interjected. "Dinosaur Train Industries has agreed to allow Mr. Spinosaurus to wear their latest floatation design platform. Two platforms will be attached to both sides of Mr. Spinosaurus' body, each platform will have seats equipped with seatbelts and the kids can wear life jackets. Does this sound like it would suit you?"

Kark smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes it would."

He smiled at the Old Spinosaurus, who smiled a little back. But then the Old Spinosaurus looked serious and stern. He pointed a finger at Kark. "But remember,"

"I know, I know." Kark said calmly. "The kids are not to bring any food or drinks onto you or misbehave. They won't and will be on their best behavior. We have strict rules, when it comes to such things. You have my word on that, Mr. Old Spinosaurus. And again, thank you for volunteering for this program."

The Old Spinosaurus' friendly smile returned to his face. "Ye're welcome."

"Okay then, there's just some legal and other things we have to talk about." The troodon leader said. They discussed the formalities for a bit, agreed upon them, and the meeting was then finished. Kark walked out of the building and into the bright sunlight. He said good-bye to the other creatures and headed off to a restaurant for lunch. Then he took a leisurely walk all over Troodon Town and took in the sights, like the giant waterfall while standing on a bridge in front of it. Then when it was late afternoon, he decided to pay his friend Ned Troodon a visit. There was something that he had to discuss with him.

* * *

Ned was at his home pacing back and forth. He was practicing revealing to Laura that he was her secret admirer. "Hey Laura, what you got there? A love letter? Well, that's sweet of someone to give you that. You don't know who wrote it? Why, it was I!" Ned shook his head. "No, no. Too dramatic. Laura, you seem to like that love letter a lot. What if I told you that it was I who wrote it? No, no, no." No matter how many times he had tried, Ned just couldn't seem to find the right words to express his feelings for her. But nonetheless he felt that he just had to keep trying. He remembered what Kark had said about not making Laura wait for long, and wanted to have himself ready to tell her within the next few days. He sighed, took a deep breath, and felt ready to try again. But before he could continue, he heard the sound of Kark's voice calling through the air.

"Hey, Ned!"

Ned turned and saw Kark walking towards him; a friendly smile on his face as usual. "Oh hey, Kark. What brings you to Troodon Town?"

"Oh, the usual business. Setting up dino tours for the kids from my homeworld. The same old, same old. But I'm also here to talk to you about something." Kark's face became calm and serious when he spoke that last sentence. Ned looked a little worried. He and Kark both sat down on two rocks while facing each other. "It's about Laura."

Ned looked alarmed. "Oh no, is she hurt?"

"No she's fine, physically. But she's starting to look a little down."

"But why?" Ned asked with concern in his voice.

Kark closed his eyes and sighed a little. He knew that Ned was not going to like this. But he opened his eyes and resumed speaking. He told Ned that Laura had been spending the whole day asking lots of males who had boarded the Dinosaur Train if they had written the mysterious love letter to her. All had answered no and Laura was starting to feel very dejected. When Kark told him this, Ned looked sad himself and stared down at the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Kark. I only wrote that letter to help express my feelings for her. I never meant to cause her, you, and everyone else so much trouble." Ned felt a hand placed on his shoulder and he looked up at Kark's face.

"I know you didn't mean to." Kark said in a calm and comforting manner. "But you've got to tell Laura that it was you who wrote that letter. Otherwise, she's going to be really sad about not knowing who wrote it and then feel like she was lead on. Whether you intended it or not, someone's feelings are very fragile."

Ned nodded slowly.

"She really does want to know who wrote it. I'd bet she'll be really happy when she finds out that it was you."

Ned looked up worriedly. "Are you sure? What if she's expecting her secret admirer to be a big dino like her? What's she going to think when she sees that it was tiny little me who wrote that letter?"

"Ned, I heard that some of the male dinos she asked were smaller than her, even smaller than you. And each time she asked them, she looked really hopeful that she was about to find her secret admirer, so I'm pretty sure that she doesn't care about size." Kark smiled. "I'll bet that after you come clean, she'll be very happy, and definitely want to go out with you."

Ned looked at Kark for several seconds before smiling. "Alright, I'll tell her. I'll tell her today."

Kark nodded. "Good plan." He then gave Ned a pat on the back, but the force of it was so strong that it almost knocked Ned off of his rock. "Oops! Sorry about that, sometimes I just don't know my own strength."

* * *

The smokestack was blowing out puffs of smoke as Ned and Kark came aboard the train. They stood in the aisle of the passenger car, nodded to each other, and went in opposite directions. Kark sat down in a seat while Ned headed toward the observation car. He stood before its doors, took a deep breath, and opened the doors to enter. Sure enough, Laura Giganotosaurus was there as usual. She was in her usual squatting position while she was holding Ned's love letter in one hand. She was talking to Mr. Conductor and they were nodding.

"Yes, I suppose that it could be him…" Mr. Conductor said while scratching his chin. When he turned around he was surprised to see Ned standing behind him. "Oh, Ned. Good to see you again." He said with his usual charming smile. Laura saw Ned and smiled while greeting him as well.

"Hi, what you guys doin?" Ned asked.

"Oh, I was just talking to Laura and trying to help her with her mystery. Someone mysterious has sent her a love letter and we're trying to find out who her secret admirer is."

"Oh, okay. Have you found out anything yet?" While part of Ned was very nervous that they might've found out it was him, the other half was hoping that they had, for it would make it easier for him to tell Laura.

"Well, Laura's asked every male dino she knows…" Mr. Conductor said.

"But there were two creatures that I completely forgot about." Laura finished for him.

"And who would those two creatures be?" Ned legs were slightly shaking, but Mr. Conductor and Laura took no notice.

"Alvin Allosaurus and…" Laura began.

"The Old Spinosaurus." Mr. Conductor finished.

Ned didn't know whether to feel relived or more worried.

"But I'm not so sure that Alvin wrote it, he and I are just good friends. We've been good friends together for years." Laura explained.

"But maybe it is him. After all, sometimes close friends can become a couple." Mr. Conductor said.

"But what about a male you've never met before, or just recently met?"?" Ned asked.

"I've already thought about that, but the love letter sounds like it had been written by someone who's known me for a long time, so it couldn't have come from someone I just recently met or haven't met at all." Laura said.

Ned stared at her looking a little sad _. If only she knew…_ Ned thought. If only she knew that someone who had met her recently had wrote it, and had fallen for her so quickly within that short span of time.

Mr. Conductor looked at his watch. "Sorry Laura, but I have to resume my duties. See you later, and good luck with your mystery." Then he left the observation car and starting calling out that the train would be leaving the station momentarily.

"And I'd better be resuming my search." Laura said. She looked determined.

"Would it be alright if I came with you? I could help you find your secret admirer?"

"Oh Ned, that would be wonderful. I need all the help I can get." Laura said happily.

The train started moving and left the station. Within a minute it had left Troodon Town. Laura looked out over the tracks while Ned poked his head out of a window on the right. Hopefully while on this little adventure, he would be able to tell Laura that her secret admirer was him.

* * *

The train eventually stopped at Allosaurus Forest Station and both Ned and Laura got off.

"We'll be spending the next half hour loading things onto the train and checking some stuff. You have until then to get back on before we leave." Mr. Conductor explained.

"We will, Mr. Conductor. Adios." Laura said before she and Ned walked off together, Ned's love letter was clutched tightly in her right hand. They walked until they were coming up on a clearing down the hill they were on. "There he is, I see Alvin!" Laura said pointing at a dino down below.

Ned saw a dinosaur with a mixture of purple, blue, yellow, and dirt brown all over his body standing in the middle of the clearing. He had two horns shading each of his two eyes. He knew that the dino must be Alvin. Ned looked at Laura and gulped. What if Alvin did have feelings for Laura and when she asked him, he'd say that he had written the letter just so he could ask her out instead of Ned? Ned couldn't bear the thought of Laura seeing another dino. As they were walking down towards Alvin, Ned tried to tell Laura that it was him, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out. Like someone had pressed a mute button on him. They came down to the clearing and Laura spoke out. "Alvin! Yoo-hoo, it's me, Laura Giganotosaurus!"

Alvin turned and grinned. "Well, if it ain't my friend Laura. How are you doing?" He noticed Ned. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Ned. I just met him a few days ago. Ned, this is Alvin. I've known him for several years now."

"Hello my brother, nice to meet you." Alvin greeted by shaking Ned's hand.

"Feeling's mutual." He said calmly, trying his best to hide his worry.

Alvin looked at Laura and asked why she'd come to see him. Laura told him all about the letter. "And I came here wondering if it was you who wrote it?" She said, handing him the letter for him to read.

Alvin looked at Laura sadly and shook his head after reading it. "I'm sorry Laura, but I didn't write this letter to you or any love letter to anyone for that matter. This was clearly written by someone else, the handwriting isn't the same as mine."

"Oh, I see." Laura closed her eyes and sighed. Ned saw how sad she looked and felt a pang of guilt.

"I like you a lot, Laura, but...not in that way. Don't get me wrong, you're very beautiful. I just don't have any romantic feelings for you, that's all." Alvin quickly reread the letter and smiled at Laura. "But judging by the sound of this letter, sounds like whoever wrote it is crushing on you really bad."

"But I wish that he wrote down who he was and how I could find him." Laura said. Ned felt another pang of guilt in his heart.

"Maybe he was shy? But I'm sure you'll find out who it is. It's only a matter of time."

"Right," Laura looked up and smiled. "Thank you for your time, Alvin. We'd better be getting back to the train."

"Alright, see you two real soon." Alvin waved them good-bye as they were walking away.

When Ned looked up, he saw that Laura was looking sad again. He looked back at the ground and said nothing.

* * *

The train rattled on toward the Big Misty Sea Station. Laura was sitting on the carpeted floor, staring at the love letter in her hand. Ned sat beside her, looking up at her face.

"It just has to be the Old Spinosaurus. There's no one else."

"Are you sure about that? You've only been searching for a day. Maybe they live somewhere else and the Dinosaur Train hasn't picked them up since they had the letter delivered to you?" Ned shut himself up and scolded himself in his head. Did he want Laura to _ever_ know his feelings for her?

"I'm still certain that it was written by someone I know, or maybe someone who's known me for a while. I have seen the Old Spinosaurus on the train before. He took it to attend the Theropod convention in Dinosaur City a while back."

Ned was silent for a moment. "If it turns out that it was him who wrote it, how would you feel? Would you be happy?"

"Yes, I would." Laura answered calmly.

"But I thought…weren't you hoping that it'd be a huge and young dino like yourself?"

"Not at all." Laura said shaking her head. "Ned, I don't want to be with someone who's young or big like me. I want to be with someone who cares about me, someone who is thoughtful and very nice. And whoever wrote that letter to me must be like that. Perhaps, my ideal soul mate." Laura held the letter to her heart with both hands and closed her eyes. "Someone I will be happy with for the rest of my life. At least, I hope that will be the case." She looked out of the observation car, lost in her own thoughts.

Ned remained sitting and stared at the floor. He could hear a voice in his head saying: _See, she doesn't care what her secret admirer looks like. So go and tell her the truth._ He wanted to, but he was still too nervous and scared to. What if Laura did turn out to be disappointed when she saw that it was him, and didn't have feelings for him as well, or would be able to? He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Mr. Conductor's voice.

"Big Misty Sea Station approaching, folks!" The train stopped and Ned and Laura got off. "We'll be staying here for another half hour, so be sure to be back within that time. I don't know what we'd do without our great lookout if we left without her." Mr. Conductor said while smiling up at Laura. Ned and Laura nodded and they headed down towards the Old Spinosaurus' beach.

Just as they neared it, they heard the sound of the Old Spinosaurus growling in frustration. "Consarnit! I almost had him!" Obviously he had tried to catch Chester and was unsuccessful in doing so. Within a moment they had arrived at the beach and saw the Old Spinosaurus standing in the water, his back to the two of them.

"Hello, Mr. Old Spinosaurus! It's me Laura Giganotosaurus, with my friend Ned!"

The old Spinosaurus turned and saw them. "Oh, hello. What brings you two here?" He said as he walked back onto shore and stood before them.

Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A hopeful look was present on her face. She held the letter out to him. "I have recently received this love letter with a poem by a secret author. Was it you by any chance, Mr. Spinosaurus?"

The Old Spinosaurus looked at Laura before slowly shaking his head. "Sorry, but I haven't written you a love letter recently, or ever. I'm more of a fisher than a poet. Heck, I don't even do poetry."

Laura's smile was wiped off of her face and replaced with a surprised look. Her mouth hung open a little. Ned looked at her and could practically feel the disappointment that she was feeling at this moment. "Oh, I see. Thank you Senor Spinosaurus, sorry for bothering you." She said slowly.

"It's okay. You're a beautiful young lass, to me you're a young lass, but I'm sorry to say that I have no romantic feelings toward you whatsoever." The Old Spinosaurus said, clearing trying not to hurt Laura's feelings.

"It's okay…" Laura paused. "Thank you for your time, Senor." Laura looked at him calmly and nodded. She and Ned said good-bye before they turned and left. The Old Spinosaurus said good-bye and even waved. After they were gone, he went back into the water and resumed his fishing. The two arrived at the station and boarded the observation car. Laura seemed to board the train at a slower pace than when she usually did. Ned, feeling terrible, walked aboard and within a minute, the train started moving again.

* * *

Laura stared dejectedly out of the observation car while Ned looked sadly up at her. "I'd thought for sure that it was him." She said so softly. Silence filled the observation car, and it bothered Ned in addition to his guilt. Neither he nor Laura said anything as the train made its way down the tracks. Laura closed her eyes and sighed slowly. "I have no choice but to accept what the only option is."

"And what's that?' Ned asked worriedly.

Laura opened her eyes and looked down at the carpeted floor, the letter still clutched tightly in her right hand. "That whoever wrote this love letter to me…was not truly sincere. That they only wrote this letter as a joke, to lead me on a wild goose chase for their own enjoyment. And I fell for it like a fool. I should've known that this letter was written by someone who didn't really care." Laura looked like she was about to cry. Ned could even see a tear forming in one of her eyes. He couldn't take it anymore. Holding back the truth and seeing Laura look so sad. He thought she didn't deserve to be sad, not ever.

"That's not true." Ned spoke out. He was surprised by his sudden outburst. Laura was surprised as well. She looked down at him at a loss for words.

"What do you mean, Ned?"

"Laura, the creature who wrote you that letter didn't write it as a joke. He was really sincere about what he had said. Your secret admirer really does have such strong feelings for you. He absolutely loves you." The words seemed to be coming out of Ned's mouth of their own accord. As if they'd been dying to come out for a while now.

"How do you know this?" It was now beginning to dawn on Laura, but she awaited Ned's answer nonetheless.

Ned closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and speaking up again. "Because I'm the one who wrote that love letter to you."


	7. Another Interrogation

**Boundaries-A Dinosaur Train Fanfic**

Chapter 7-Another Interrogation

There are moments in life when time seems to slow down or completely stop. For Ned Troodon, that feeling came right after he admitted to Laura that he was her secret admirer. While the train was still moving, time within the observation car seemed to be stuck. Laura was staring at Ned with her mouth open a little and he stared back, his mouth also open. Finally, after a few moments of silence, the spell wore off and Ned found the courage to continue speaking. "I wrote the love letter to you."

"You did?" Laura asked.

Ned nodded. "I wrote that letter to help express my feelings for you, and I meant every word of it. You really are the most beautiful and perfect creature I have ever seen in my life, and to ever walk the earth. I've never met anyone like you before, Laura." Ned then looked sad. "I'm really sorry about putting you through that whole search. I wanted to tell you that I was your secret admirer, but I was very nervous. I was afraid that you would be disappointed if I told you; afraid that I wasn't the kind of male you were expecting. I'm really, really sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Ned looked down at his feet. He awaited Laura's reply for what felt like an eternity. When nothing came, he spoke up again. "I'll…I'll leave now. I've caused you too much trouble." He turned to leave…

"WAIT!"

Ned stopped and turned around again. He looked up at Laura's face, which looked very calm.

"I am not disappointed, and I am not upset. I am very glad to have finally found my secret admirer." Laura said while giving Ned a friendly smile.

"Really?" Ned was surprised to see Laura smiling down at him.

"Yes, and I am very satisfied with the results of my search. Up until now, I had no idea that it'd be you, Ned. I never knew you could write such beautiful words."

Ned could feel himself blush a bit. He looked shyly back down at the carpeted floor. "You, weren't expecting your secret admirer to be big or anything like that? The same size as you?"

"I mean it, I was searching only for the one who wrote that beautiful letter to me, I did not care what his appearance would be."

Ned still stared at the floor as he moved his foot over it in a circle.

"And now that I have found him, I hope my secret admirer would not mind if I asked him some questions about the letter he wrote to me?"

Ned looked up at her and smiled a little bit. He didn't mind at all. Besides, he felt that he owed her that for all she'd been through. "Sure, ask away. I have all the time in the world to answer your questions." It was true, Ned had nothing else to do today.

"Excellent, now then…" Laura cleared her throat and looked at Ned, both her hands were holding the letter. "In the beginning paragraph of your letter, you tell me how unique I am and deeply meant it?"

Ned nodded slowly.

"I was very flattered and impressed by that paragraph. When I think about it now, you've made it sound like you've known me for years when in reality, it's only been a few days. Impressive, and you put such powerful emotion behind each and every word of this letter."

Ned felt like he was being given praise for the letter by a teacher in a classroom. It was like school, only it wasn't and the teacher wasn't a teacher.

"Here you write that my skin is silky smooth and shines brightly? Is that true?"

"Yes, it is silky smooth and it does shine brightly." Ned replied. Laura held down her hand for Ned to feel and he rubbed his hand up and down it. "The smoothest I've ever felt, you have such lovely skin, Laura. And your hands are as lovely and delicate as I have described them in the letter."

This elicited a chuckle out of Laura, which made Ned smile even more. "And that smile. Sharp teeth can be seen protruding from your upper lip, but they don't make you look frightening in the slightest. Your smile is the friendliest I've ever seen from any living creature."

Laura chuckled some more. She looked back at the letter and reread the second paragraph. "Hmmm, you think that my feet are lovely and that the way I walk is a graceful art? How is that so, Mr. Ned Troodon?" Laura held up her right foot for Ned to see and wiggled her toes.

Ned smiled some more. "Yes, your feet are lovely and beautiful. And the way you walk is a graceful art. You make walking look so beautiful and fascinating."

"How do I make walking look so beautiful?" Laura asked with her eyes half-closed at him. Ned looked up at her and gave a small and soft laugh.

"I don't know, you just do. That's all I know."

Laura consulted the letter again, no doubt eyeing the third and final paragraph. She looked back at him, her eyes still half-closed. "This," She said. "Is my favorite part of your letter, where you say that my soul is the kindest and loveliest that you've ever seen. It made me melt on the inside that someone saw me as this beautiful and charming and wonderful creature. I knew that I just had to find the author of those lovely words." Tears were now in Laura's eyes. "And they were the most beautiful words that I've ever read in my life, thank you Ned."

"You're welcome." Ned said smiling and blushing at the same time.

"Ned, would it be alright if I kept this letter?"

"Of course, it's for you and for you to keep."

"Thank you, Ned. I will treasure it always for as long as I live." Laura said clutching the letter to her chest with both hands. Then a thought came to her. "Um…could you hold on for one minute please?" She said holding out her right index claw at him. She turned around slowly, careful to not knock Ned down with her long tail. Ned's curiosity got the better of him and he walked to the other side of the observation car to get a better look at what Laura was doing. She had placed her right hand on the right side of the wall she was now facing and appeared to be digging the claws of her right hand into the wall. Ned heard a soft clicking sound and saw that Laura was opening a secret compartment in the wall. Inside it contained a pencil and Laura's sketch book, which Ned recognized from the day he'd first met Laura. At first he thought that she was going to show him her sketch book again, but instead she placed the letter he had written inside with her other things. She closed the compartment door and turned back to Ned while still smiling.

"Nice secret compartment." Ned commented.

"Thank you, it was made as a gift by the troodons aboard the train, including Mr. Conductor. As a sort of thank you gift for all that I do for the Dinosaur Train."

 _And you clearly deserve it._ Ned thought happily as he looked up at her. He then spoke after a minute had gone by. "You know what? I think there are a couple of features of yours I'd neglected to mention in my letter to you."

"Oh, really?" Laura batted her eyelashes at him. "And what would those features be, exactly?"

Ned's face became even redder. Was Laura Giganotosaurus…flirting with him? As he watched her and saw her bat her eyelashes at him again, he knew that it had to be so. He smiled and quickly felt more confident. Somehow, he felt like he wanted to flatter her even more.

"Hmm, let's see." Ned rubbed his chin while his long tail swung happily from side to side as he examined her. "Well for starters, that long tail of yours."

"My tail?" Laura looked back at her long tail, as if just finding out that she had one.

"Yup, look at how long it is and the way it swings from side to side so gracefully, and how it's covered with those pointy spikes."

"Yes, they are indeed pointy." Laura said running her foreclaw slowly up and down over them.

"They make you look so strong and so beautiful." Ned could tell that Laura was beginning to blush now. "And you have such lovely looking hips."

"Oh Ned, stop." Laura said looking away while doing a downward waving gesture with her hand.

But Ned didn't want to stop. "And that face of yours has such great feminine beauty. All the other female giganotosaurus' in the world must be very jealous."

Laura leaned down until her head was level with Ned's and smiled even more. She batted her eyelashes at him once more. "Oh, Ned. You know how to make a female giganotosaurus blush so much."

Ned looked calm as he reached out his hand and took Laura's. Laura felt this and looked him in the eyes. He saw this as his big moment. "Laura, would it be alright if I asked you something?"

Laura smiled and batted her eyelashes at him again. "Yes Ned, don't be shy. Please ask away."

Ned got down on one knee like he was going to propose to her, Laura got lower too and looked him in the eyes. "Laura Giganotosaurus, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

It seemed to take ages for Laura to respond, at least to Ned it did, but she did and with a smile. "Yes, I would love to go out with you."

"Really? YIPPEE!" Ned cried after letting go of her hand. He jumped up and down before realizing what he was doing and stopped immediately. "Sorry."

"It's okay" Laura chuckled, but then she stopped smiling. "However, I must ask you what should we do while we are on our date?"

"Oh, right! I…uh…have a few suggestions." Ned replied after pretending to have been deep in thought.

"What are they, pray tell?" Laura asked. Ned smiled as he sat down on the carpeted floor.

"Well, how about we make our date a little day trip? Around noon we could meet and ride the train to Confuciusornis Gardens, to meet Chung Confuciusornis?" Laura's eyes got so big that Ned thought they were going to pop out of her head.

"Chung Confuciusornis, really?" Laura smiled. "I've heard that he is very wise and good at mediation! I've always wanted to go and meet him, but my duties aboard the train have always prevented me from doing so. And as soon as my shifts end, I am so tired that I never bother."

"Well you're in luck, you'll get to see Chung while on our date when we pay him a little visit. You could draw him and maybe he'll teach us a thing or two about mediation, what do you say to that?" Ned said with a wink.

"That would be most wonderful! I have always wanted to draw Chung, what a wise and beautiful bird he is!"

"And after we visit Chung, maybe we could go to the hot springs located at Geyser Gulch Station?"

Laura's smile got even bigger. "Mr. Conductor has told me all about that place, he says that it is so relaxing to soak in those springs. But alas, I've never found time to visit them. It would be so great to go there."

"And we could arrive at Troodon Town and have a walk around while taking in the sights, how does that sound to you as a date?"

"All wonderful, I would love to go to those places with you, Ned."

"Thanks, Laura. You won't regret it. Next Friday sound good to you?"

"Yes, I am sure I can talk to Mr. Conductor and convince him to give me the afternoon off for that day."

"Excellent." Ned said. He and Laura then sat in the observation car for a while and chatted a bit. When they ran out of things to say, they just sat in silence and enjoyed each other's company. Then after nearly an hour, Ned spoke up. "Well, I guess I'd better head back to the passenger car now."

"Okay then. Thank you Ned, for seeing me and telling me that you're my secret admirer. I greatly appreciate that."

"And again, I'm really sorry about putting you thorough all that."

"There is no need to apologize, Ned." The male troodon looked up at her while thinking that she really must be the most forgiving and friendly creature he had ever met in his life.

Ned smiled as he stood up. "You're welcome, and…can I ask you one more thing?"

"Certainly." Laura said with a nod of her gigantic head.

"Would it…would it be alright if…I gave you…a kiss on the cheek, before I go?"

Laura stared at Ned and he suddenly thought that perhaps now wasn't the time to have asked that, but Laura smiled at him and said that he could; that she wouldn't mind at all. She lowered her head until her eyes were level with his. He came over and placed his hands on both sides of Laura's face. "Which of my cheeks would you like to kiss?"

"The…the right one. No, no. No need to move your head. Just…relax and close your eyes." Laura paused and then she did as she was told. Ned gulped a little and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, and kissed Laura's cheek softly. He opened his eyes for a second before closing them again, a smile on his face. The feeling of Laura's soft skin against his lips was incredible. Her cheek felt so soft and pleasant to the touch that Ned wanted to make the kiss last a really long time. But a moment later he decided to break away from Laura's face, afraid that it would be awkward if he continued. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"That was a very wonderful and sweet kiss. Thank you, Ned. It was such an affectionate gesture."

"Oh, you're welcome Laura."

"Senor, would it be alright If I gave you a good-bye kiss on the cheek as well?"

Ned felt like he was going to swoon, but stopped himself. "W-Which cheek?"

"Either, it doesn't matter. It would only be fair if I gave you a parting kiss as well before you go."

Ned stared at her and then nodded. He turned his head to the side so that the left side of it was facing Laura. He closed his eyes while his hands were held up in the air and braced himself. "Okay, I'm ready."

Laura leaned down slowly and pressed her lips against the side of Ned's face. He could feel her lips and teeth pressed against his left cheek and could hear the smacking noise of the kiss. The feeling against his skin felt strange, yet a bit pleasant. He opened his eyes and blushed, even as Laura's face broke away from his. "T-Thank you." He said looking up at her.

"You are very welcome. Adios, Ned Troodon. I look forward to seeing you again real soon."

Ned said good-bye as well and turned to leave. But as he was walking away, he accidently bumped into the wall next to the door instead of just going through the door. When Laura asked if he was okay, he said that he was. "I just…hit the thingy…that's all." Ned said pointing at the wall, and Laura chuckled. Ned shyly chuckled back before saying good-bye once more, and then opening and closing the observation car doors. He stood with his back to them with a look of bewildered wonderment on his face. "I have a date with Laura Giganotosaurus." Then he smiled a big smile. "I have a date with Laura Giganotosaurus!"

He grabbed a nearby passenger and shook him by the shoulders. "Can you believe it? I have a date with the one and only Laura Giganotosaurus! The most charming and beautiful creature to ever walk the Mesozoic! Wahoo!" Ned ran down the aisle and saw Kark sitting in a seat behind the first row of seats.

"Hey Karky, guess what? I have a date with Laura! I told her I was her secret admirer and she wants to go out with me!"

Kark looked really happy for his friend. "Alright Ned, way to go! See, now didn't I tell you that she'd be happy to go out with you?"

"Oh yes, you were right! And I have a date with Laura!" Ned jumped up and down while clapping his hands, but then he stopped and his smile disappeared instantly. "I have a date with Laura!"

He sat down next to Kark with a worried expression on his face. "What am I going to do? I've never been on a date with anyone before. Oh no, I'm gonna mess up real bad and Laura'll never want to go out with me again!" Ned turned to Kark, grabbed him by the shoulders, and shook him violently. "What am I going to do?!"

Kark took ahold of Ned. "Now calm down, everything's going to be just fine. When is your date with Laura?"

"Friday."

"Tomorrow? Well, I suppose you could stop off with me and I could…"

"No, not Friday tomorrow. I meant Friday next week." Ned corrected.

"Oh, well that's plenty of time for you to get ready. Tell you what? How about you stop by my home at Pteranodon Terrace tomorrow and visit me and my family? Valerie would love to see you again, and so would our daughter Vekkia. And while you're there, I could talk to you privately and give you some advice on dating, how's that?"

"Really? Oh, thank you so much, Kark. Your advice will really help me with my date with Laura." Ned said, feeling a lot better now.

"Date with Laura?" Said a voice from behind them. Ned and Kark both turned to see Mr. Conductor standing in the aisle. "You have a date with Laura…? Wait a second, are you…Laura's secret admirer?"

Ned nodded and he and Kark explained everything. By the time they'd finished, Mr. Conductor was smiling. "Oh, how sweet. And a nicer creature couldn't be more deserving of such an admirer. Say, if you need any help with that date of yours, just let me know. I, too, have some experience with dating the other sex." He said chuckling merrily.

Ned's face then lit up and he got an idea. He whispered to Kark and they both smiled at Mr. Conductor. "Actually you can help." Kark said. They talked to Mr. Conductor quietly for about a couple of minutes before he smiled and chuckled a bit more.

"Oh, bless my scales and feathers! It'll be the first and best date Laura's ever had!"

* * *

The train stopped at Pteranodon Terrace Station and Kark got off onto the platform. His wife Valerie was there to greet him.

"Hi, Kark!"

"Hi, Valerie" Kark called back.

"Daddy!" Vekkia cried as she ran forward and gave her father a big hug around his middle. He smiled and hugged her back. "Glad to see you too, sweetheart."

Vekkia looked up to see Ned in one of the passenger car windows and waved. "Hi, Uncle Ned!"

Ned waved back and Kark looked at his wife. "Dear, would it be alright if Ned came by for a visit tomorrow?"

"Oh sure, It'd be wonderful to have him." Valerie said happily.

Kark looked back and gave Ned a thumbs up. He did the same for Kark.

"All aboard!" Mr. Conductor cried.

The train started moving and Ned waved at the Drake family as they waved back. The train left the station and went through several others before arriving back at Troodon Town. Everyone got off before Laura got out and started pushing the train towards the roundhouse. Within half an hour the train came back to the station, facing the opposite direction and ready for another journey. The sun was now setting. Ned was about to head home when he heard a female voice calling out his name. "Ned, Ned!"

Ned turned and saw Laura standing in the observation car, a smile on her face. "Mr. Conductor says that I can have the next Friday afternoon off!"

Ned smiled and held a hand up to the side of his mouth. "Good, I'll see you again in a few days or so to hang out! Can't wait for our date!"

"Me neither!" Laura called out before the train started moving off. She waved at him and he waved back. He watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore. He felt a little sad at seeing her disappear into the distance like last time, but also happy at the prospect of their date and of receiving Kark's advice before then. He smiled as he turned and headed for home.


	8. More Lessons In Love

**CHAPTER 8 – MORE LESSONS IN LOVE**

 **WRITTEN BY KARKOVICE**

The very next day, Ned Troodon headed down to the train station in Troodon Town. He was to head to Pteranodon Terrace to spend the day with his good friend, Karkovice Drake. There was _purpose_ to his trip, as well. He had a _lot_ he wanted to go over with Kark.

He had just landed a date with Laura Giganotosaurus, a dinosaur female he was _madly_ in love with, for next Friday; but he had no idea what to do from that point. He hoped that Kark would be able to give him some pointers on how to make the date, which was also going to be his first date _ever,_ go smoothly.

On this occasion, he was going to take The Rocket Train to Pteranodon Terrace, where Kark lived with his family. Dinosaur Train Industries seemed to be expanding by leaps and bounds! They were constantly going into new territories throughout the dinosaur eras, and this expansion was beginning to be a bit much for one Dinosaur Train to cover; so a new train had to be built to answer to the ever increasing travel demands. Thus, the dinosaur Engineers at Dinosaur Train Industries came up with the idea of The Rocket Train; which was being hailed as being twice as fast as the original Dinosaur Train; or, at least, so the train's Conductor likes to boast. They had finally worked the kinks out of it, and it went into full operation barely a month ago.

Announcements were made about a _third_ Dinosaur Train that will become operational soon. It was still in the experimental stage, but it apparently ran on _solar power,_ which was a whole new concept for Dinosaur Train Industries, and dinosaurs _everywhere._

There were even rumours about a _fourth_ Dinosaur Train that will be built using specifications from Karkovice Drake himself! It was supposed to resemble a diesel train from Kark's era, The late Cenozoic, and was going to be looked after by a group of stygimoloch Engineers. The Supervising Engineer was apparently a close friend of Kark's, but there was no word yet as to when _that_ train will be built and perfected.

As Ned climbed aboard The Rocket Train, his mind was racing. He was constantly thinking about his date with Laura the next Friday. He kept asking the same questions: _How do I act? What should I say to her? What should I DO!?_ He hoped that Kark would help answer at least _some_ of those questions.

Ned found an empty seat in one of The Rocket Train's passenger cars. As he sat down, he looked around and took in all of the modern amenities that would not be found on the traditional Dinosaur Train. Everything from the fluorescent lighting to the plastic seats of the passenger car to the automated vending machines serving food and drink seemed all so new to him. Especially the vending machines, where you had to purchase certain vouchers called "credits" that you must insert in a special slot in the vending machines, if you wanted something out of them. Ned thought The Rocket Train was a lot less personable than the traditional Dinosaur Train.

On the other hand, though, Ned was _relieved_ that he was taking The Rocket Train to Pteranodon Terrace today, rather than the traditional Dinosaur Train. He didn't know if he wanted to see Laura again before their date next Friday. He had already started to build such a good rapport with her. He didn't want to mess that up by saying or doing anything out of line during another chance encounter with her. Plus, he wasn't planning to be traveling by train again until his date next Friday, so he felt safeon _that_ end of things _._

Ned was so lost in his own thoughts that, before he knew it, he heard an announcement coming from the overhead speakers. "Attention, ladies and gentledinos! We are approaching Pteranodon Terrace Station. Estimated Time of Arrival, five minutes. Thank you for riding The Rocket Train." Came the Conductor's voice via the Intercom.

 _Humpf! ANOTHER reason why this train is less personable..._ Ned thought to himself. _Hmmm... Seems we got here in HALF the time. Maybe there IS something to this "twice as fast" that Train Conductor keeps boasting about..._

When The Rocket Train came to a stop, Ned got up and followed other dinosaurs as they walked out of the passenger car and onto the wooden deck of Pteranodon Terrace Station. Almost as soon as The Rocket Train stopped, it took off again and sped onto its next destination. _EFFICIENT, too!_ Ned thought to himself, as he watched the train leave. He then made his way down the steps towards the back of the train station's deck, and headed down a path through the forest leading to Karkovice Drake's cave home.

A few minutes later, Ned arrived at Kark's cave home. There was a large wooden dragon sized door that sealed off the entrance. When Kark and his wife Valerie first settled into their new home at Pteranodon Terrace, Kark decided to personalize the place with some amenities from his time period, wooden door included. Ned was used to this, of course!

There was a Welcome mat at the foot of the door that said "PLEASE wipe your claws". Ned did so before he rang the doorbell to the left of the door, _also_ one of Kark's personal touches. He heard the familiar "ding dong" sound coming from the inside. Ned chuckled to himself at the sound of this. He had come to _like_ Kark's little quirks! "I'll get it!" Came a female's voice from the inside. Moments later, the wooden door slowly creaked open to reveal a female velociraptor. This was Valerie Velociraptor-Drake, Kark's wife.

She was a typical velociraptor female, beautifully feathered, and her skin glistened in the sun, and she looked really healthy. She stood about four feet tall, which was the average height for a velociraptor female. She was also quite young. She had barely reached adulthood when she married Kark, who was a middle aged weredragon, by human standards. Matter of fact, Kark _used_ to be human, but that's another story reserved for another time.

"Oh! Hi, Ned." Valerie said happily as she saw who the visitor was.

"Hey, Valerie!" Ned smiled. "Is Kark here?"

"Yeah, he is. Come on in!" Valerie motioned him to come inside.

Running his claws over the Welcome mat a second time, Ned stepped inside the cave home.

"KARK, Ned's here!" Valerie announced as she closed the wooden door behind Ned.

"Okay!" Came Kark's voice from somewhere inside the home.

Kark's cave home was extremely well decorated and well-lit with lamps and overhead light fixtures that all came from Kark's time period. Kark did most of the wiring of the lighting himself, but he had asked help from a troodon Electrician from Troodon Town for the things he didn't know how to do himself. At first, he had the lighting powered by special batteries he had gotten from his time period; but when solar power came to Pteranodon Terrace, he had a solar panel installed on the roof of the cave, and reconnected the wiring to it. He kept the batteries as backups, though the solar panel came with a special storage unit for storing reserve power that can be used on cloudy days when needed.

There was also some custom made furniture set up in Kark's home that added an even more personal touch to the place. His home was literally set up to welcome guests of all kinds, when needed; even people from his own time!

Ned heard a gasp come from behind Valerie. "UNCLE NED!" cried a girl's familiar voice.

"HEYYY!" Ned exclaimed in response. He grunted as the dragon/velociraptor hybrid girl ran into him for a hug. "How's my favourite 'niece'?" he smiled.

"Fine." the little girl said as she continued to hug him.

"MY, you're growing up fast!" Ned commented.

"I know." Vekkia sighed. "I take that from Daddy, or so he says..."

This was Vekkia Velociraptor-Drake, Kark and Valerie's daughter. She was a gorgeous dragon/velociraptor hybrid who shared features of both her father and her mother. Even though she was only three years old, by human standards, she was already half as tall as her mother. Valerie and Kark knew that she had inherited her father's height, and may grow to be just as tall as _him._ Matter of fact, Kark often teased his daughter about her "accelerated" growth. "Pretty soon, we're gonna have to start calling you 'stretch'." Kark would say. "Don't _say_ that, Daddy!" Vekkia would reply with an angry look.

"Hey, Ned!" Kark said as he appeared.

"Hi, Kark!" Ned said in reply.

Both males exchanged their usual male greeting, which Kark called a "fist bump".

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat" Valerie began. "but me and Vekkia have some shopping to do. I'm sure you two boys have a lot of... _male_ stuff you'll wanna talk about."

"That we do." Kark said.

"Bye, Kark!" Valerie said.

"Bye, honey!" Kark said.

Both exchanged a kiss.

"You look after Mommy. Okay, sweetie?" Kark said to Vekkia as he ruffled her head.

"Okay." Vekkia replied happily.

"Oh, _stop_ it, you!" Valerie exclaimed as she slapped Kark on the shoulder. She knew Kark was doing his usual teasing.

Kark chuckled. "BYE!" He waved as Valerie and Vekkia walked out the door.

"Sit down, Ned!" Kark motioned to the living room.

Ned helped himself to an easy chair while Kark sat down on a matching dragon sized couch just across from it. This was another one of Kark's amenities. It wasn't what Ned was used to, in terms of preferred seating, but he found it comfortable enough. As he learned more and more about Kark's time period, he found it had its own appeal. He hoped that Kark would take him on a visit someday, and maybe take in one of those hockey or baseball games Kark keeps talking about.

"Vekkia really likes you, you know. You're her favourite babysitter."

"Really?" Ned was surprised.

Kark smiled and nodded. "She said so herself. You _are_ good with kids, you know that?"

"Wow! I never knew..."

"Well, it's _true."_

"I must say, though, that that Rocket Train is really _something."_ Ned commented, changing the subject.

"It certainly _is."_ Kark said. "I had the chance to ride on it a few times,once it came into service. _Fantastic_ machine!"

"Yeah... but I find it's a little... _uninviting..."_

"I agree. BUT, like it or not, it's Thurston Troodon's pride and joy."

"Have you ever met him?"

"Only once, through Mr. Conductor. I must say, I've never met anyone so _full_ of himself as _him!"_ Kark rolled his eyes.

Ned chuckled.

Now it was Kark's turn to change the subject. "SO, you were finally able to break the ice with Laura, eh?"

"Uhh... yeah..." Ned replied. Kark's been teaching Ned some of the colloquial expressions from his time. He knew what "break the ice" meant, in this instance.

"See? I TOLD you you could do it!" Kark reached out and happily patted Ned on his leg. Kark smiled so brightly that his dragon teeth were showing.

"Heh... yeah...I guess..."

"Took a little time, I know; but the _main_ thing is: You got that first date with Laura! I know we didn't get a chance to talk about how you went about asking her, and I'm curious to know. So _tell_ me! How did it go?" Kark was still showing his toothy smile as he listened intently.

"Well..." Ned began. Then he relayed the story of how he finally admitted to Laura that he was the one who wrote the love letter, and that he was her secret admirer. He told Kark every detail as he remembered them, which was like a _dream._

"Wait a minute!" Kark interrupted at one point, raising one of his clawed hands. "You mean that... you _actually_ kissed Laura on the cheek?"

Ned nodded. "AND she kissed me _back!"_ He smiled.

"Wow!" Kark was dumbfounded. "That's a _big step_ for you!"

"I know..." Ned said shyly.

"I mean, you're already half way to _second base_ with Laura, you know that?"

"... second base?" Ned looked confused.

Kark chuckled. "Another expression from my time. You remember me telling you all about _baseball,_ right?"

"Oh YEAH!" Ned said as he remembered. "Interesting sport."

Kark smiled. "It _is._ So you know how there's three bases and home plate, right?"

Ned nodded. "Right!"

"Well, you can use that same analogy when dating the opposite sex. _First base_ is getting the girl to go out with you, _second base_ is actually KISSING the girl-"

"Oh, but I've already done THAT..."

"... On the LIPS, I mean..."

"Oh..." Ned looked concerned.

" _Third base_ and the _home run_ is... well, you'll figure that out in time." Kark smiled.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, Kark; but the _real_ reason why I'm here is... I need your _advice..."_

"About _what?"_

"Well... EVERYTHING..." Ned spread his arms out. "I mean... I got the date with Laura, but... I've _never_ been on a date before!"

"Oh, YEAH! That's right!" Kark said as realization set in. "Silly me!" he chuckled. "You must be nervous as _heck,_ huh?"

Ned nodded immediately. "To put it lightly..."

"Don't worry! It's _normal._ I was nervous, too, _my_ first time."

"But I mean... What do I _say!?_ What do I _do!?_ How do I _act!?"_ Ned surprised Kark by getting up from his seat and grabbing Kark by his shoulders "HELP ME!" he exclaimed in his face.

"WHOA! Relax! Take it easy." Kark said as he removed Ned's hands from his shoulders. "I'll _help_ you! Don't worry!" He smiled reassuringly at his friend.

"Thank you!" Ned breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Don't mention it. Sit down." Kark motioned.

Ned did so.

"I had a good friend who helped me out, too, when I was in your place. I just never thought that I'd play _that_ role later on..." He chuckled. "ANYWAY, when it comes to dating the opposite sex, the _first_ date is ALWAYS the most important, 'cause _that's_ where the female tries to determine if you're the right guy for her."

Ned listened intently as Kark went into his dissertation.

"They _always_ try to establish that _love connection_ on the first date."

"Love connection?" Ned asked.

Kark nodded. " _Yeah!_ They wanna see if you're _compatible._ One way _a lot_ of them establish THAT is through _conversation._ "

"Conversation?"

"Mm hmm! They'll want you to _talk_ to them, so don't be afraid to _talk_ to Laura. I know a shy guy like you tends _not_ to talk a lot. I used to be as shy as you, believe it or not."

Ned chuckled. " _That's_ hard to believe!"

"Well, it's _true!_ ANYWAY, if Laura sees that you're hesitant to talk, she's gonna ask you _questions;_ and if I know Laura, she's more than likely going to ask you a LOT of questions."

Ned gulped. "R-r-really?"

Kark nodded. "Yeah... probably..."

"W-w-w-what kind of questions will she ask?"

Kark spread his arms. "ANYTHING! Questions about what you like to do, your family, your likes and dislikes. The most important thing is: DON'T be afraid to ANSWER them. And most of all, always be _honest._ If you _dislike_ something, don't be afraid to _tell_ Laura about it. Girls appreciate _honesty_ above all else, and they're quick to see if you're _lying._ "

Ned nodded. "Okay."

"Now, the NEXT most important thing is: How to ACT. Well, you probably already know that you have to be on your _best behaviour_ with Laura, right?"

Ned nodded.

"Good! It's just like _any_ stranger you meet for the first time, you always wanna show them your _good_ side. Therefore, any little quirks you have. Nasty habits, bad table manners, etc. HAVE to be set aside. If you're gonna take Laura out to dinner, DON'T dip your face into that pile of carrion, like you usually do."

Ned laughed. "No, for SURE I wouldn't wanna do that in front of Laura."

"May God have mercy on your soul, if you DID."

"Anything else I need to know?" Ned asked when his laughter died down.

"Uhh..." Kark pondered. "Oh, yeah! You'd might wanna _dress up_ for the occasion. Like wear that collar and tie of yours, AND that dress shirt I saw you wear one time. Laura's probably gonna dress up _herself."_

"Laura dresses up?"

Kark nodded. "I think so. Could've sworn I saw her wear a dress... or at least a silk blouse... on a couple of formal occasions."

Ned nodded. "Okay."

"OH! And a small gift wouldn't hurt, either. Like a _rose,_ a whole bouquet of roses, or flowers(preferably Laura's favorite), or chocolates... or in this case, carrion on a stick."

Ned chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure I'll think of _something_ I can bring her." Ned smiled.

"All right! Well, with that, I think you're all set. Any questions?"

Ned shook his head. "Nope. I know what to do now." He breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I feel so much better now. Thanks for the help, Kark!"

"Anytime!" Kark smiled. "Well, since we got the rest of the afternoon to ourselves, what would you like to do?"

"Hmmm..." Ned tapped his chin a few times as he pondered. "How 'bout a few games of pool?"

"Think you can beat me?" Kark taunted.

"I KNOW I can!" Ned said defiantly.

"Well, bring it on, boy!" Kark exclaimed as he slapped the dragon sized couch's armrest.

Both males then got up and made their way to Kark's game room, or what he likes to call his "male room". Ned learned from Kark that it was common for males from his time to set up rooms like this in their own individual homes. Kark literally decorated the entire room from top to bottom with all kinds of sports memorabilia! He literally spent _hours_ explaining to Ned what they all represented! The more Ned listened, the more he became fascinated with Kark's world. He imagined Kark must've entertained many different dinos and hyoo-mans from his time period in this room.

It literally contained _everything_ a sports fanatic would want! On top of the pool table in the center of the room, there was a hockey net complete with sticks and pucks where one can practice their slap shots; as well as a baseball batting cage complete with bats and balls where one can practice their home run swings. There was even a small area set aside for Vekkia, filled with her favourite toys and games that she would use, whenever she had friends over on play dates, or when she wanted to have her own play time by herself.

The hours seem to fly by as both males played pool game after pool game, talking about sports and other guy stuff. Kark talked about hockey and baseball while Ned talked about dinoball. This is what really allowed them to bond as friends, when they first met!

Then, during one pool game, Ned actually won by sinking the eight ball. He had a few close calls in prior games; but in this game, he actually beat Kark.

"Great shot, Ned!" Kark exclaimed. "You said you could beat me, and look what just happened!"

"Yeah... after YOU beat ME like two dozen times..." Ned rolled his eyes.

"Well, you know how much of a pool shark I am, right?"

"Right." Ned knew what "pool shark" meant, thanks to Kark.

"But every once in a while, you get lucky. Like what just happened there. Kinda like _dating,_ actually..."

"Yeah... Though I can't help but think that you _let_ me win that game..."

"Maybe..." Kark glanced sidelong at Ned.

Both males burst out laughing.

"Speaking of _luck"_ Ned began. "I guess I'm lucky to have a friend like _you,_ Kark. I've never met anyone as kind, generous and helpful as you. You're one... _heck..._ of a guy!" Ned patted his shoulder.

Kark smiled. "I'M the one who's lucky..." he then held out his fist to Ned for a fist bump.

Ned smiled, and fist bumped with Kark.

The sound of the front door opening and closing again wafted into the game room. "Hey, guys! We're HOOOME!" Called out the voice of Valerie.

"OKAY!" Kark called back loud enough for Valerie and Vekkia to hear. "HEY, wanna stay for dinner? We're having a _barbecue._ I think there's some leftover carrion on a stick you can have. As for me? Well, Valerie's probably brought some hamburger meat I can make cheeseburgers with. There's probably some _chicken,_ too. I might have a nice, big _poutine,_ as well." Kark was almost drooling.

Ned chuckled. "That's another thing I like about you, Kark: You have unique tastes in _food."_

Kark smiled. "I _know."_

"Hey, _guuuys!_ I could really use some _help_ with this!" Valerie called from the kitchen.

"Oh, God! What'd she buy _now!?"_ Kark muttered. "COMING, HONEY!" he called out.

Both males then made their way to the kitchen to help Valerie and Vekkia unload the shopping bags they would've brought in.

Later that day, the four of them were lounging about on their back patio after their hearty barbecue supper. While Ned had whatever leftover carrion sticks there were, Kark made himself three cheeseburgers with a whole half chicken. He also had his beloved Quebecois style poutine in a huge salad bowl. "As a big dragon, I have to eat _big!"_ he would comment.

Valerie, having acquired the taste for some of Kark's favourite foods, helped herself to some chicken and fries; while Vekkia just had one cheeseburger with some fries and ketchup. While the grown-ups washed everything down with a few glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade, Vekkia had her favourite apple juice.

Ned would tell Valerie the same story he had told Kark earlier about him finally working up the courage to ask Laura out, and how Kark gave him a lot of helpful advice on how to make their date a success.

"Congratulations, Ned!" Valerie exclaimed. "I know you've been wanting to go out on a date with her for quite some time... and I _know_ Kark's advice will help you out _a lot!"_ She smiled at her husband.

"I just did what any good friend would do!" Kark shrugged.

Valerie giggled. "Don't be modest, Karkie! You _know_ how much you're always willing to lend a helping _claw."_

"Comes with being a _mascot,_ I guess..." He shrugged again.

"Uncle Ned, does this mean that I'll have a _cousin_ I can play with soon?" Vekkia asked in her naivete.

All three adults laughed. "That might not come for _some time_ , Vek." Ned said as he eyed Vekkia.

"Yeah, dear! Ned and Laura have just _barely_ become friends." Valerie told her daughter.

"Oh." Vekkia looked disappointed.

"But look on the bright side, sweetie! You have the Pteranodon kids and their friends you can play with from time to time." Kark told his daughter.

"Yeah. That's true." Vekkia said softly. "So wanna play Frisbee, Uncle Ned!?" She asked excitedly.

"SURE!" Ned said with a smile.

"YAAAY!" Vekkia exclaimed as she started racing towards the back yard. "Coming Mommy and Daddy?"

"In a minute, honey! As soon as me and Mommy clean up." Kark said.

For the rest of the evening, the four of them played a delightful game of Frisbee. It was thanks to _Vekkia,_ actually, that Ned learned to play the game. Kark told Vekkia about the "No Fly Rule" to the game, in order to make things fair for Ned. Since Kark was a _winged_ dragon, Vekkia inherited her father's wings; and the two of them would often go flyingtogether, just to "stretch out", as Kark likes to say. Kark even brought Vekkia's favourite Frisbee on occasion, and they would playfully throw it at each other while flying through the air.

Vekkia also loved to fly with the Pteranodon kids, whenever they got together on one of their play dates. She would often have races with them, as well as other flying games. They would also include Buddy, the Pteranodons' adopted T-Rex boy, in their flying games.

The four of them continued playing Frisbee until sundown. They had to call a halt to the game in order for Ned to make it back to the Pteranodon Terrace train station in order to catch the last train back to Troodon Town. After thanking Kark and his family for the wonderful afternoon and evening, and saying thanks to Kark again for all of his wonderful advice, Ned made his way back to the train station.

He got there just in time to catch the last train back to Troodon Town, which turned out to the The Rocket Train again. Ned remembered how he didn't want to run into Laura again before their date, so he was grateful that it will be The Rocket Train to take him back home, and not the traditional Dinosaur Train.

The Rocket Train made it back to Troodon Town at twilight. Ned seemed to have some spring in his step as he made his way home down the well-lit streets of the town. He was even whistling happily to himself with the notion that, thanks to Kark's advice, he now knew what to do and how to act during Laura's date the next Friday. He was actually looking _forward_ to the date. He also felt _confident_ that he can sweep her off her feet.


	9. Kark Confesses

CHAPTER 9

KARK CONFESSES

WRITTEN BY KARKOVICE

The very next day, Kark made his way to Pteranodon Terrace Train Station. He was to go to Rexville today. As part of his job as hockey team mascot, he was to entertain a bunch of disadvantaged kids for the day as they observed the T-Rex Migration, and meet a couple of T-Rexes in person. The kids were supposed to be brought to Rexville from Cenozoic Station by a couple of hockey players from the team to act as chaperones. These players were specifically chosen for this occasion; for they, too, had a fondness for dinosaurs. He had arranged to have Boris Tyrannosaur be the grown up T-Rex the kids could meet; and his daughter, Annie, be the juvenile T-Rex. For this occasion, he wore his usual hockey jersey that identified the team he was mascot for.

As he stood on the platform of the train station, waiting for the train to arrive, he thought about Buddy; the Pteranodon family's adopted T-Rex boy. He was sure that he would've loved to come with him today just to hang out with his friend Annie, the T-Rex girl; but Buddy had school today. Matter of fact, he thought that they would make a cute couple someday, when they grew up. He laughed at that thought.

He also thought about Ned Troodon's visit from yesterday. Kark remembered being particularly glad when Ned announced that he had finally worked up the courage to ask Laura Giganotosaurus, the apple of his eye, out. Despite that, Ned admitted to being extremely nervous about his upcoming date, and being absolutely clueless as to what to do and how to act on said date. Kark took it upon himself to steer his young male troodon friend in the right direction. In the end, Ned was immensely relieved at all of Kark's great advice, and he admitted that he felt more confident in making his date with Laura a successful venture. When Valerie Velociraptor, Kark's wife; and their daughter, Vekkia, returned home from shopping, they all celebrated with a backyard barbecue.

The sound of an approaching train whistle brought Kark out of his own thoughts. The train that was to take him to Rexville today was approaching. By the sound of the whistle, he could tell that it was the traditional Dinosaur Train; although The Rocket Train was also in full operation. Kark much preferred the traditional Dinosaur Train, even though The Rocket Train was proven to be twice as fast. Kark was in no particular hurry to make it to his appointment in Rexville today.

He boarded the train as soon as it stopped in front of him, and the doors to the passenger car opened. He was the only one waiting to board the train. Since it was early in the morning, this was not surprising.

He made his way to the passenger car that had larger seats for larger creatures, like him; but to get there, he needed to go through the observation car.

Ola, Senor Kark! came a female voice from above him as soon as the double doors to the observation car opened, and he walked through. He noticed that it was Laura Giganotosaurus, the Dinosaur Train's official lookout, and she was waving at him.

Ola to you too, Laura. Kark waved back.

Kark was fluent in English and French, but he also knew a few words of Spanish. He picked up the few Spanish words he knew here and there throughout the years; just like he knew that Ola meant hello in Spanish. He was actually thinking about taking an actual Spanish course in order to fully learn the language. It seems there are more Spanish speaking athletes in sports every year, and it wouldn't hurt to be able to speak to them fluently in their native language, even though a lot of them can get by with English.

How are we this fine morning? Laura asked.

Oh, fine! Kark replied. How 'bout you?

I'm feeling just great! Laura exclaimed as she spread her arms out. She certainly was in good spirits! You'll never guess what happened to me the other day!

Well, let me take a stab at it... uhh... Kark pretended to ponder for a few seconds. Ned Troodon finally asked you out?

YES! Laura exclaimed. How did you know?

Oh, simply because Ned came to see me yesterday, and told me all about it...

He did? Laura was surprised.

Yeah! Us guys wouldn't keep something like that a secret among friends. Just like you've probably told all of your female friends about it, right?

Laura chuckled. Well, maybe a couple...

Well, there ya go! Kark smiled. I'm curious, though. How did he ask you? Kark had already heard the whole story from Ned, but he wanted to hear it from Laura's point of view.

Well, he seemed hesitant, at first; but he finally worked up the courage to ask me right after he admitted to writing that wonderful love letter that I've kept right here in my safe deposit box. She tapped it with her clawed hand to show Kark.

Wait! You've kept that letter!? Kark seemed surprised.

Of course! It was just so beautifully written, how could I not keep it!?

Well, Ned's a bit of a poet Kark shrugged. But you probably already knew that.

Yes... Laura narrowed her eyes at Kark. Though I suspect that Ned could not have written that letter by himself...

Kark looked nervous. W-what makes you say that!?

Well, that letter is simply too beautiful, too perfect, even for Ned. He must have had help...

Kark couldn't hold back the truth any longer. You're too perceptive, Laura. You'd make a good cop... Kark sighed. And I must confess... I helped Ned write that letter... a little...

Laura was surprised. You!?

Kark nodded. At first, Ned had no idea what to write down, so I gave him suggestions. I basically told him to write the letter in a way that a female like you would like.

Really? Laura said.

Kark nodded. But all of that poetry stuff, that's Ned! I suck at poetry, actually... Kark laughed.

Laura giggled.

But please don't be upset, Laura! Kark looked worried. I was only trying to help a friend express his feelings towards you! Ned really likes you a lot, y'know... In fact, he's crazy about you!

I'm not upset, Kark. Laura admitted.

You're not?

Laura shook her head. NO! Matter of fact, I'm glad that you were able to help Ned finally come out of his shell. I find that he is extremely lucky to have such a good friend like you, Karkovice Drake.

Kark smiled and blushed. Aw, shucks!

Laura laughed.

But let me give you a little advice: Go easy on him! Everything he's done so far is way beyond his comfort zone, and even though a female like you may have had more than her fair share of dates-

Actually, Kark. I've never been on a so called date, either... Laura admitted.

Kark was surprised. No!?

Laura nodded her head.

Kark smiled. Well, then, this will be a great learning experience for both of you! But I meant what I said when I told you to go easy on him, since Ned has never-

Say no more, Senor Kark! Laura interrupted. I can assure you that Ned will have a wonderful time on our date. She smiled.

Kark smiled back. Thank you. That would be a huge favor to me... and to him...

Kark then laughed. You know what's funny? I actually wanted Ned to start out that letter with 'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!' And then he'd list them...

Laura giggled. That's a terrible way to start a love letter!

Just goes to show you how much I suck at poetry! Kark shrugged.

Both shared hearty laughter.

The sound of the double doors opening from behind them made them both turn.

Well, good morning, Seniorita Laura... and Senor Kark! He tipped his hat.

Good morning, Mr. Conductor! Kark and Laura replied in unison.

SO, what juicy gossip do you have for me today?

Laura told Mr. Conductor about how Ned Troodon finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date, and they were scheduled to go out the coming Friday.

Mr. Conductor simply smiled. Yeah, I know. Ned told me about your date with him. That's why I gave you Friday off, Laura. Anything for love or the pursuit of it... anyway, I'm sure he must be looking forward to his date with you, Laura! I know I was, when I first started dating Erma Eoraptor.

Oh, really? Kark was surprised. You weren't even a little bit nervous?

Mr. Conductor nodded. Well, yes, I was; but I was more excited than nervous, to be honest...

Well, I imagine with Ned, it'll be just the opposite... Kark admitted.

But I've already told Kark that Ned will have nothing to fear with me. Laura confessed.

Well, I'm pretty sure you two will have a wonderful time on your first date. Mr. Conductor then turned his attention to Kark. Hmmm... I see you're wearing your hockey jersey. I presume you have mascot duties to attend to today?

Boy, nothing gets past you, does it, Mr. Conductor? Kark joked.

Mr. Conductor chuckled. I can be as perceptive as Laura, sometimes...

As a matter of fact, I do! I'm going to Rexville today to show a bunch of young hockey fans the T-Rex migration, and have them meet Boris and Annie T-Rex in person.

Oh, I'm sure those kids'll be in for a treat! Mr. Conductor checked his pocket watch. Speaking of Rexville, that's our next stop. Better get to the passenger car, Kark!

Right! Kark said. Well, nice seein' ya, Laura! Have a nice day! Kark waved to her as he followed Mr. Conductor out of the observation car.

Goodbye, Senor Kark! Laura waved back to Kark.

Laura was left by herself to wonder how her upcoming date with Ned will go, and how he'll treat her as his first love. They already had enough things planned. It may be a bit much for a first date, but it was all Ned's idea. She just hoped that it will all go through without a hitch, for this will also be her first chance at love, too. 


	10. A Friendly Chat

Boundaries- A Dinosaur Train Fanfic

Chapter 10- A Friendly Chat (Written by DinosaurTrainFan)

For the past few days Ned snuck around Troodon Town, trying his hardest to avoid the train station and roundhouse whenever Laura was nearby. He had even visited the train station at the crack of dawn each day before Laura was awake and memorized the Dinosaur Train's arrival and departure schedule for that day, so that he would know what times it would be best to avoid her. He didn't like to, but he also didn't want to say or do anything that might ruin the good standing that he had with her. He was afraid that if he did, Laura would not only not want to go out with him, but she would also never want to see him again, and Ned didn't want that to happen.

On Monday, two days after his visit to Karkovice Drake's home, Ned went back on the Rocket Train for a surprise visit. Valerie and Vekkia were out again, so it was just him and Kark for a bit. They played a couple games of pool where Ned beat Kark both times (though once again Ned suspected that Kark had let him win those times) and they sat on the porch in the backyard talking about sports while drinking lemonade. Not once was there any mention of Ned's date with Laura, since plans had already been made. It was nice visiting Kark and it certainly helped Ned feel a lot less lonely.

When the visit was over, Ned took the Rocket Train for the ride home. He sat in one of the passenger seats while looking out of the window. While the trees were going by in a blur, Ned thought of Laura and wondered how she was. He felt tempted to see her again when he got back to Troodon Town, but remembered not to. Suddenly he was brought out of his thoughts by a male voice coming from his right.

"Good afternoon, sir. Is everything alright?" The voice said in a charming and sophisticated kind of tone.

Ned turned around and saw a troodon standing in the aisle next to him. The troodon looked different from him and lots of other troodons Ned had seen. His snout was a bit wider and shorter than most troodons and he had green eyes. He was also wearing a conductor's uniform that looked newer than the traditional Dinosaur Train conductor uniform, the hat looking like it was something Star commanders used from Star Wars (Kark explained what Star Wars was to Ned when they first got to know each other), and a wristwatch on his wrist. Ned realized that it had to be Thurston Troodon, the Rocket Train's conductor.

"Are you enjoying your ride on the train, sir?" Thurston asked kindly.

"Oh, why yes of course. I was just lost in my own thoughts." Ned replied. He looked around the passenger car, which was empty except for him and Thurston. "The train sure is fast, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes indeed. Maybe not as legendary and great as the Dinosaur Train, but definitely the fastest train in all of the Mesozoic." Thurston said with a very proud smile on his face. "Oh I tell you, it's an honor to be conductor of this beautiful and incredibly fast machine. No other creature could be more worthy of running it than me." A beeping sound came from Thurston's watch and he took a look. "Next stop, Troodon Town Station! Troodon Town Train Station! If you'll excuse me sir, I must get back to the locomotive!" And with that, Thurston walked off in a prideful stride.

Ned watched him disappear behind the automatic door. While he thought that Thurston did appear very nice, he also thought that he could do with a little less of that boasting attitude of his.

Later, Ned set up a little table outside with a white table cloth and pretended to be on a date with Laura. He looked up into the air like she was above him and starting saying some things about himself, what he liked and disliked, just like Kark suggested. And while he thought that he was getting a bit better at it, his little practice session made him long for a real conversation with the real female giganotosaurus. So he stopped and went for a walk through Troodon Town to keep his mind off of her for a little bit, while avoiding the train station and roundhouse as well.

* * *

The day of the date had finally arrived. Ned smiled as he opened the doors to the observation car and saw Laura squatting before a small white table. She smiled and greeted him. He smiled and greeted her back before sitting down. "You excited about our little adventure?" He asked her.

"Yes I am. I cannot wait until we get to do the things that we're going to do today." Laura replied happily.

Ned looked down on the table and saw some cups with saucers and a teapot. "Tea?" He asked. The female giganotosaurus nodded. Ned poured her a cup and held it up for her to take. Laura brought the cup up to her mouth and sipped the sweet-tasting liquid. Ned rested his chin on the back of his hands, admiring how lovely his date looked. "You are such a fascinating and charming creature."

"Why thank you, Ned." Laura took another sip of her tea.

"Seeing you sip tea is so interesting. Seems like something you wouldn't normally be doing."

"Excuse me, what wouldn't I normally be doing?" Laura's smile was gone and replaced with a frown.

Ned's smile vanished as well. "I…uh…it's just that…" He was shaking and his body felt very warm.

"What? I can't be sophisticated like you since I'm not a troodon?!" Laura was looking angry now. "Am I just some wild and stupid creature to you?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I was only trying to compliment…"

"GET OUT! GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!" Laura screamed.

Suddenly all four walls of the observation car fell away revealing the passing landscape. Ned looked back at Laura, who was standing up with her tail up in the air. It was about to come down and smack him out of the car! "Laura, wait!" Laura's tail came down and was about to make contact with him. Ned closed his eyes and screamed. He shot up in bed and was panting loudly, his heart pounding in his chest. He took slow, deep breaths and looked all around. He saw that he was in the bedroom of his log cabin home. It had all been just a dream, just a bad dream. The date had not yet happened. He even looked at the calender on the wall behind his bed to be sure. After he was certain, he laid down on his back, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed.

He felt like he had to talk to someone, someone who would help calm him down after explaining the dream to them, and he knew just the person. He reached over for the telephone on the nightstand next to his bed and dialed in a number. It rang several times before the other end was picked up and a groggy sounding voice replied. "Hello?" Kark said.

"Oh Kark, I just had the worst dream!" Ned could hear Kark give out a big weredragon yawn and the rustling of a blanket.

"Ned buddy, you know it's like three in the morning, right? Can't this wait until later?"

"Kark please, I have to talk to someone. I had a very bad dream involving Laura. I'm sorry to be calling at this hour, but I…just gotta talk to you."

He could hear Kark sigh softly before replying, "Alright, what happened?"

So Ned told him everything that happened in the dream; it was still fresh in his mind. He talked about how Laura took something he said the wrong way and then that she was about to strike him off of the train with her tail. Ned was speaking in a hurried-sounding voice before Kark cut him off.

"Woah, woah, Ned. Laura would _never_ do such a thing. She's not the kind of creature who would react like that. She would ask for clarification and make sure that she understood something perfectly fine before reacting to it. Also, Laura's a lot like me. She's so nice that she wouldn't hurt a fly." There was a pause and then a softer voice could be heard on the other end, a female voice. "I'm talking to Ned, dear. He had a bad dream and I'm trying to comfort him. Sorry for waking you though, Valerie."

Ned felt bad for bothering them at this hour. He also thought about what Kark had said. "Right, you're…right." He replied slowly, his heart beating normally now. "Laura would never do that. I'm sorry for waking you, Kark. I guess I'm just so nervous that I might mess things up with Laura."

"Relax, buddy. Just do what I told you, be yourself, and you should be just fine. And if you make a mistake, just apologize and clarify and Laura will understand. She's very understanding."

"Oh, right. Thanks Kark, you're a real pal, goodnight." Ned said with a smile on his face.

"Anytime, Ned. Goodnight, buddy." And Kark hung up.

Ned set the phone down and stared at his bedroom door. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Everything's going to okay. Everything's going to be okay with Laura." He said. He laid himself down and went back to sleep.

* * *

Tuesday started off bright and sunny. Ned was heading down towards the station to memorize the schedule for the day. As he was walking he wondered how long he could wait until his date with Laura arrived. It was a few days away, yet it seemed like it would be a month before he would go out with her. As he walked onto the station platform and looked at the train schedule placed on the wall, he began imagining how the date would go.

Ned smiled as he imagined him and Laura climbing up the mountains at Confuciusornis Gardens to meet Chung. In his daydream, he and Laura were having an epic adventure, climbing to not only get to Chung but to also escape a group of brown giganotosaurus' who had been chasing them. Ned and Laura were on a rocky platform, looking down at the giganotosaurus' who were climbing up towards them, when Ned noticed a pile of boulders nearby. He got an idea and pushed against the boulder pile while yelling "Prepare to be smitte, villains!" and the boulders slid down onto the giganotosaurus', knocking them down the mountain and to the ground. They got up and left in defeat. There was no way that they could get the troodon and the female giganotosaurus. Ned turned to Laura, who was smiling down at him. "Oh Ned you've saved us, you're a hero!"

Ned's hands were closed as he placed them on his hips and smiled proudly. "I guess I am, aren't I?"

"You are indeed, Ned. My brave Ned." Laura began cheering his name over and over again while Ned's eyes were closed and his proud smile became bigger. Then he could hear Laura saying his name louder and louder. "Ned, Ned, Ned!" Ned turned around, opened his eyes, and jumped with a yelp. Standing in the observation car of the train was the real Laura Giganotosaurus herself, smiling down at him. He had been so busy daydreaming that he had forgotten to memorize the train schedule and leave.

"Hello Ned, it is so good to see you again." She said pleasantly.

"Uh…Hi, Laura." Ned said staring up at her, his mouth open a little.

"Are you here to board the train?" Laura asked him. Ned cursed himself in his mind for not leaving sooner.

"Um, actually no. I was just walking by, taking in the sights and…I'm sorry Laura, but I really have to go." Ned turned to leave, but Laura spoke.

"Wait, you don't want to ride the train? But, I've been hoping to see you again. I would be very much happy if we could talk." Laura's hand rested on the metal railing of the car as she was looking at Ned.

"We can talk later, but right now I should get going." He said anxiously. Ned turned to leaveagain , but stopped once again when Laura spoke.

"Ned, wait!"

He turned around and was surprised. Laura looked down at him with a concerned expression on her face. "Last week did I…say or do anything that offended you? If so, then I'm very sorry and it was not my intention to do so."

Ned's eyes widened and he shook his hands. "What? Oh no, no, Laura! You did nothing of the sort, you never could! It's…I…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "The truth is…I've been avoiding you for the last few days, because I was afraid that I'd say or do something that'd make you not want to see me again."

"Oh Ned, how could you ever think that? You could never do such a thing that would make me not want to see you anymore."

"Really?" Ned asked.

"Really." Laura said with an honest-looking smile on her face. They both smiled at each other. "But if you really are busy today, we can talk later. I understand."

Ned looked at her for half a moment before he spoke again. "You know what? I have wanted to talk to you again for the past few days too. I've been craving for another conversation with you, Laura. I think I will ride the train with you."

"You don't have to if you don't want to…" Laura said, not wanting Ned to do something that he didn't really want to do.

"Laura, I really do. Honest."

"Really?" Ned nodded and Laura smiled. "Okay, thank you Ned. I appreciate it. The train leaves in five minutes, I'll see you then." Laura turned so that she was facing the same direction as the train, which was the direction leading out of Troodon Town.

Ned ran over to the ticket window and requested a train ticket. After paying for it by using his account info, Ned boarded the passenger car, where he saw Mr. Conductor. "Nice to see you again, Ned." Ned said likewise and thought it best not to mention that he'd been riding the Rocket Train for the past few days, not wanting to upset Mr. Conductor, knowing his mixed feelings about Thurston. "ALL ABOARDDD!" Mr. Conductor cried. The train started moving slowly before it gained speed and it was out of Troodon Town within seconds.

As the trees on both sides of the track could be seen zooming past, Mr. Conductor offered Ned another smile. "Laura's been dying to see you again, Ned. Says you're a real nice creature to have conversations with."

"Oh thanks. I'm going to go see her now." Ned was about to enter the observation car when Mr. Conductor spoke out.

"Oh, Ned. That thing you and Kark asked of me to do?" Ned turned back and saw Mr. Conductor smiling at him. "The other troodons on board have agreed to help. Kark will be joining us on Friday evening to make sure that everything will be ready for you and Laura. And I've made a schedule for your stops." Mr. Conductor showed Ned a piece of paper. "Does it look good?"

Ned looked it over, smiled, and said that it did.

"Good, Laura approves of it too. And like I said, everyone's glad to help with that thing at the end."

Ned smiled at him. "Thanks." He turned and entered the observation car. Laura greeted him with a warm and friendly smile. Ned did the same before sitting down on the carpeted floor in front of her. Both looked at each other. "How have you been?" He asked her.

"Very well, thank you for asking. So far for the past week and this week, there have been no fallen trees on the tracks, so no threats of collisions. We've been over and under the sea dozens of times so far this week. I've even got to see and make a few bird drawings since we last met, would you like to see them?"

"Sure." Ned replied. He loved to see Laura's work. Laura turned around and half a minute later she produced her sketch book. She handed it down to Ned and he opened it while holding it with both hands, due to its big size. He saw the new bird drawings and smiled. He was impressed once again by the details that Laura had put into each drawing. "I love them, Laura. There should be an exhibit for your art. I'd go see it."

"Thank you, Ned." Laura looked up and saw a bird flying overhead. "Is that…? Goodness, I wonder if it is Angela?" Then Laura looked like she was about to whistle, but instead of a whistling sound, a bird call issued from her lips. The bird responded back and flew down to the observation car before landing on Laura's nose. Laura saw that it was indeed Angela. "Hello Angela, how are you?" Laura greeted.

"Oh hello, Laura. Fine…uh," Angela Avasaurus noticed Ned. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Ned Troodon, a new friend of mine. Ned, this is Angela Avasaurus, a good friend of mine. I drew a picture of her in my sketch book once."

"Oh yeah, I remember that drawing. It was really good. Hi, Angela."

"Oh, why thank you." Angela said with an expression of timidness and happiness.

"And guess what Angela? Ned and I are going out on a date this Friday!" Laura announced to her bird friend.

"A date, really?" Angela asked and Laura nodded. "Oh, good for you, Laura. What are you two going to do on your date?"

"Well, first Ned's going to take me to see Chung Confuciusornis so I can draw him for my sketch book, and then he's going to take me to the hot springs at Geyser Gulch Station."

Ned blushed a little. He wondered why Laura said that _he_ was taking her to those places instead of them just both going there together. He knew that he had suggested them to her, but did she have to make it sound like it was that way?

"Well, I hope you two have a pleasant time on your date. I'm sorry Laura, but I have to head off now."

"That's okay, thank for you coming down, Angela. It was nice chatting with you." Angela flew off and disappeared into the sky. Laura looked down at Ned and was surprised to see a sly smile on his face. "What is it?" She asked.

"You never told me that you could bird-whistle."

"Oh, did I forget to mention that when we first met? Being a bird watcher, it seemed like a necessary skill to have. I've been doing it since I was a little giganotosaurus"

Ned chuckled. "Yes, but it's okay. You don't always reveal everything about yourself when you first meet someone for the first time, right?"

Laura chuckled as well and agreed with him. "Yes, I guess not. Actually, that reminds me of why I wanted to see you again."

"Really, why?" Ned was also surprised to see Laura smiling slyly down at him.

"I have told you a lot about myself and a few days ago, after we made plans for our date, I realized that I hardly know anything about you, Ned. All I know is that you're nice, a bit nervous often, but you write beautifully, and you are Kark's friend. So tell me," Laura leaned down a bit, her eyes half-closed and her smile even bigger. "Tell me more about yourself, Ned Troodon. What makes you tick?"

Ned was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He was hoping that he would tell Laura more about himself while on their date, he had even practiced. But now, he had not been expecting her to ask him that question. He was beginning to panic, but as if something in his brain sensed this, a voice replayed itself in Ned's mind, Kark's voice: _"The most important thing is: DON'T be afraid to ANSWER. And most of all, always be honest. If you dislike something, don't be afraid to tell Laura about it. Girls appreciate honesty above all else, and they're quick to see if you're lying."_

Ned breathed slowly and calmed himself down. Then a thought occurred to him. Maybe telling Laura a little about himself would be a good thing? It could be good practice for his date with her. And of course, he wouldn't tell Laura _everything_ about himself. He had to save some things for their date. He began feeling confident and even wore a confident smile on his face. He looked up at Laura with that smile. "Okay, what would you like to know about me?"

"Well, how about your family and your childhood? Do you have any brothers and/or sisters?" Laura asked.

"Nope, I'm an only child. My father works as a train schematics designer at Dinosaur Train Industries, has been all my life and he loves it. When I was kid, I spent a lot of time with my mother. We'd collect things and have them organized into groups, I love organization. I'm a very neat and organized creature. My mother and I played together often, but I didn't play a lot with other kids, I was very anti-social, just like I am now."

"But I must say that you've done a good job of coming out of your shell for me. And if you don't mind me asking, why do you wear a green bowtie?" Laura asked pointing down at the bowtie.

"Oh, the reason I wear a green bowtie is because my father gave me one to wear for a party at Dinosaur Train Industries we were going to one night, and I ended up loving it. I've loved wearing green bowties ever since that party, on account that green is my favorite color."

"I am green, is that one of the reasons you have such strong feelings for me?" Laura batted her eyelashes down at him and Ned blushed.

"Well, one of the factors…" Laura closed her eyes and laughed. Ned drummed his fingers on his knees, trying to think of what else to say. "Well, I'm very organized and punctual. Oh, and I have a hard time accepting when things don't work out right, but I do try to as much as possible. And," Ned had thought of something to tell Laura, about something he didn't like, and he was nervous about saying it. "And, I…I…"

"Yes Ned, what is it?"

"I…I don't like fish…at all. I mean I've tried it a few times in my life: once when I was kid, another time when I was a teenager, and a few months ago. But I just…don't like the taste of it."

Laura looked at him and nodded a little. "That is okay, everybody has foods that they like and don't like. You are no different than anyone else that way. And don't worry if this upsets me, it doesn't. I don't eat fish much either, though meat is my favorite. Actually, meat is the only food I eat often."

Ned smiled, glad that she wasn't bothered by this information. "You like meat? Oh, of course you do. You're a carnivore."

"Oh yes , and I love meat very much. Ever since I was a little giganotosaurus." Laura said. She closed her eyes and licked her lips at the thought of it. She looked down at Ned and her face turned red. "Oh, sorry."

"That's okay, there's no shame in you being a meat-eating and meat-loving gal."

"Thank you." Laura replied.

So the two talked some more about themselves and Laura showed Ned some more new bird drawings that she had made since they last saw each other. Ned turned the pages and marveled at them. They were as good as the others. Ned thought that Laura had to be the best artist and bird-drawer in the whole world. "Wow Laura, these are really great. I'm serious about what I said earlier, you should consider holding your artwork at a museum exhibit or something." He looked up at her, but Ned's smile disappeared. Laura's face had no smiling look upon it; instead there was fear and concern as she was looking up ahead.

"Laura, what's wr-"

"Ned, cover your ears now!" She said urgently down at him.

Confused, Ned did as he was told and even though his ears were covered, he could still hear Laura's muffled roaring ringing throughout the air. Ned took his hands off as soon as he saw Laura stop. Then he could feel the train trying to stop. Ned fell against the observation car doors and held on for dear life, his heart was pounding so much that he thought it would burst out of his chest. How could such a calm moment change so drastically and quickly? He turned his head to look up at Laura and she had a serious, determined expression on her face. Finally the train stopped in what felt like an eternity to Ned. He let out a sigh of relief, his heart still beating fast.

"Ned, are you alright?" Laura leaned down to look at him.

"Y-Yeah. A little shooken up, but other than that I'm A-okay." Laura looked relived by this information and asked Ned to excuse her. She jumped up over the railing and was standing outside beside the observation car before she started walking forward, the sound of her footsteps thundering over the ground. Ned poked his head out of a side window and gasped. Lying on top of the track ahead was a dead tree that had fallen onto it. Ned knew that that had to be why Laura let off that loud roar, to let the train know that it needed to stop. And why she was so sudden to tell him to cover his ears, he realized that she had to act quickly. Wanting to see what Laura was going to do, Ned got out of the observation car and followed for a closer look.

"Thanks for the heads-up Laura, otherwise we would've crashed." Mr. Conductor said to Laura from out of a passenger car window.

"You are very welcome, Mr. Conductor." She looked at the other passengers on board and at Ned standing behind her, her hands stretched out at her sides. "Okay everyone, I am about to move this obstruction off of the tracks. All I ask for is that you be patient and stay back to give me some room." She said calmly.

Ned stayed where he was. He noticed that Laura gave those instructions with an air that indicated that she had done this many times before. Laura walked over to the fallen tree, leaned down her head, and then pressed her forehead against it. She closed her eyes and used all of her strength to push against the tree. With a few grunts, she moved it in what looked like half a rotation, like what she did with moving a rotating platform at a roundhouse, and the tree was then on the side of the track and in a ditch. The passengers cheered and Laura turned to them, smiling in satisfaction.

"Good job, Laura ! Don't know how we could've made it without you." Mr. Conductor said giving her a thumbs-up.

"Thank you, Mr. Conductor. It was nothing." Laura said with a wave of her hand.

The passengers were still cheering, and Ned was the loudest of them. "My apologies for the suddenness, Ned. When I saw the tree I knew that I had to act and-"

"Don't worry about it, you were just doing your job. You were even awesome, Laura." Ned commented while his tail was swishing from side to side in happiness.

"Thank you Ned, and now let us board the train and be on our way." Laura got into the observation car before Ned did and not a moment later the train was already moving forward again.

* * *

Ned resumed sitting on the floor while Laura was in her usual squatting position, neither of them spoke. Not for loss of words, but to enjoy the silence for a bit. Ned looked up and saw that Laura was looking up at the sky, perhaps for any birds to draw. He thought about what she had done earlier and grinned up at her. Laura looked back down and saw Ned grinning at her.

"What is it?" She asked.

Ned's grin got a little bigger. "You're a hero, you know that?"

"A hero?" Laura's eyes widened with surprise. Ned nodded up at her. Laura's face seemed to turn red as she clasped her hands together and looked all around the observation car, while avoiding Ned. She chuckled and smiled shyly. "No, I don't know about being a hero. I was just doing my job, that's all."

"Not a hero?!" Ned was surprised by how modest Laura was being. "Are you kidding me, Laura?! You saw the tree and warned the train to stop before it could crash into it. It could've been a disaster, but you prevented it. Plus, you got that tree out of the way in such an impressive manner. And I agree with Mr. Conductor, I don't know what the Dinosaur Train would do without you, but I'm awfully glad that you're always there to lend a helping hand!"

Laura smiled at him, clearly very touched by what Ned had just said. No one had ever said anything so nice about her before. "Thank you, Ned." She said warmly.

Ned smiled back. "You're very welcome, Laura."

The two friends resumed chatting and their conversation moved back to birds. They were so busy talking and having so much fun with their conversation that they lost track of time. So they were very surprised to hear the sound of Mr. Conductor's voice calling out through the passenger car and into the observation car, "Troodon Town! Next stop, Troodon Town!"

"Will you be staying for the next trip?"" Laura asked Ned, but the troodon shook his head.

"Sorry, Laura. But I've had enough of the train for today, I think I'm just gonna head home."

"Oh, that's okay." Laura said. Ned stood up and walked over to the door when Laura spoke up again. "And Ned," Ned looked back to see Laura beaming down at him. "Thank you for coming aboard and talking with me, I very much appreciate it."

Ned smiled back. "Anytime. So, okay if I come back and see you tomorrow?"

"Oh, most definitely! And the day after if you can, I love seeing and talking with you." Laura said with a big nod of her head.

"See you tomorrow and the day after then." He said, looking forward to them. Ned left the observation car and out of the train itself. He waited for the train to return to the station and sure enough saw Laura back standing in the observation car. He was a bit away from the train station when he called out to her. "Hey, Laura!"

Laura turned and saw him. Ned gave her his kindest and warmest smile, before blowing her a kiss. Laura smiled back and pretended to catch the kiss and place it on her left cheek before waving at him. He waved back and the train headed off.

Ned walked home and listened to his records while thinking about today's events. He then called Kark, telling him everything that happened today, and his dragon friend said that he was glad to hear that he saw Laura and spoke with her. "You're gonna do great on that date with her, just do what I told you to do and you'll be just fine."

"Thanks, Kark." Ned beamed. Later when it was dark, Ned went off to bed and fell asleep. He was dreaming of his upcoming date with Laura and how wonderful it would be. When Ned later woke up to use the bathroom and returned to bed, he realized that his date couldn't come sooner.

 **Hey guys, I've got some bad news. A while back after finishing chapter nine and while I was working on chapter's ten and eleven Karkovice, the other author of the fic, said that he wouldn't be able to write any more chapters due to how busy he was with his job. And I assume that he still is. So I will be continuing this story by myself, don't worry it will be finished.**

 **And to Karkovice, I would like to extend a warm thank you for your help with this story. It was very much appreciated.**

 **~DinosaurTrainFan**

 **P.S. Sorry for taking so long, temporarily lost interest.**


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